NCIS DayCare
by McPenname
Summary: Members of the MCRT gets involved when two children are abandoned at NCIS Headquarters, why were they abandoned? By who? Who is the father? The team tries to figure it out, especially when it looks like one of their own is involved.
1. Popping Questions (DC1)

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or the TV show,

Another NCIS story

A few members of the MCRT gets involved when two children are abandoned at NCIS Headquarters, why were they abandoned? By who? Who is the father? The team tries to figure it out, especially when it looks like one of their own is involved.

Had a hard time finding a title for this one...

N CIS  
C HILD and  
I NFANT  
S ERVICES

D AY  
C ARE

* * *

"DiNozzo! Where's your report?" The boss bellowed across the bullpen.

"Finishing it up now, boss," Tony responded. Wishing he could go home as soon as the report was finished. Gibbs was acting like a bear with a sore paw this morning.

"You should've been finished with it an hour ago," a grumpy Gibbs reminded him.

"Right, boss. Just having a bit of trouble trying to decipher Ziva's notes. Seriously, what was so important that she needed to leave before the case was finished and the reports were done? Are you sure they can't wait till she gets back? It looks like she wrote her notes in a combination of all the languages she knows."

Tim snickered, "She probably did. She got into the habit of doing that after she caught you snooping through her desk."

"I wasn't snooping, I was looking for something," Tony defended himself.

"What?" Tim asked, since he hadn't revealed any details about _when_ Tony was caught.

Tony opened his mouth before shutting it, "I can't remember at this moment, but I have no doubt that it was very important and pivotal to the case we were working on."

"Uh-huh," Tim sing-sanged, enjoying the senior agent being tormented for once.

"That's enough from you, McGoo. Now stop distracting me so that I can finish this report."

"You better finish it now or-" Gibbs stopped as he answered his ringing phone, "Gibbs."

"Saved by the bell," Tony muttered, avoiding his boss's glare as he turned his attention back to his report.

"Uh-huh. Be right there," Gibbs stated, before hanging up his phone and heading towards the stairs. "No, DiNozzo, it can't wait till Ziva gets back, since that will be at least a week. Now finish that report before I finish you."

"On it boss," Tony replied as McGee tried to hide his laughter.

"You know, McGiggle, you could help me with this."

"I could do a lot of things, doesn't mean I will," Tim replied.

"C'mon man, I'll buy you a Nutter Butter."

"Wow, spending a whole $1.25 on me," Tim pretended to be impressed. "No, wait, never mind, you'll just use your trick on the machine to get them for free. I refuse to be a part of that."

"It's not just any trick, probie-wan, it's a jedi mind trick."

"You can't use a jedi mind trick on something that doesn't have a mind," Tim argued.

"That explains why it doesn't work on you," Tony retorted.

"And regardless, I'm not doing that report for you. You're the Senior Field Agent, so you can do the Senior Field Agent Reports, which includes all reports for agents who are unable to do so."

"Think of it as practice for when you become Senior Field Agent," Tony offered. "It'll be great experience and will no doubt impress Gibbs and the Director."

"Like you'd even tell them I did it, which I'm not. Besides, I've read Tom Sawyer, that's not gonna work," Tim snorted, as he got up from his desk. "I will, however, get you a cup of coffee."

"I'd rather have you do this report," Tim heard Tony complain as he walked away.

"Not happening," Tim's voice carried to the bullpen.

* * *

It took a while, but Tony was finally able to complete his reports, seemingly right before Gibbs followed through on his promise to finish him. The afternoon passed in tense silence. While he was not one to ever wish misfortune on others, well, others excluding McGee, part of Tony really hoped for a callout. At least then they could lose themselves in the case instead of feeling like they had to walk on egg shells around their boss.

"Hey, Probie," Tony hissed seconds after their boss left the bullpen. "Does Gibbs seem off to you?"

McGee shrugged, "he's a bit quieter than usual, but I attributed it to the fact that we aren't working a hot case today."

"Quieter?" The Senior Field Agent mocked. "How can he possibly be quieter? The tension in here," Tony said, shaking his head, "No, it has to be something more. Even when we're working cold cased he pushes. Something is occupying his mind," Tony declared.

"Maybe the director said something to him when he called him up to her office a few hours ago."

"Hmm, the director could've made it worse," Tony admitted.

"Wouldn't be the first time he got mad at something the director said…or did," Tim pointed out."

"No, no, no," Tony argued. "He's not mad. He's worried. Plus, he was like that before the director called him. No, something else is going on."

"If he's worried and he's not sharing, then it probably has nothing to do with a case or the office. And if he was like that _all_ day, perhaps it's something that happened over the weekend. Maybe it's personal," Tim hinted, trying to steer Tony back to work and off the subject of their boss before he reappeared.

"Like what? Maybe he's thinking about popping the question again?" Tony snickered missing the look of horror on McGee's face.

"Ouch! Thanks, boss," Tony said in reply to the head slap.

"If you don't get back to work, I'll pop something."

"On it boss…but you know, if you ever do want to talk about questions, popping or other wise…right, back to work," Tony muttered, trailing off at his boss's glare.

Tim just looked between the two, before continuing to review the file on his desk, all the while covertly observing his boss. Tony was right. Something was going on. Perhaps it wasn't something he could help with, perhaps the boss didn't even need help. Still…

It was over an hour later, when the bullpen was empty of everyone but the two of them that he finally got up and approached the older man.

Standing in front of his boss's desk, he said, "I don't know what's going on and I don't think you're about to pop the question, but if you need help with anything, hacking, computer searches, even if it's just lending a listening ear, I'll do it. No question asked," Tim completed, leaving before a shocked Gibbs could comment.

* * *

4-9-18

This story is about 95 percent completed. It kind of surprised me that I posted 'Jokes on us' first since that story isn't even close to being done, and seems to be much longer than this one. Of course, most of this story takes place in one week, the other, over two months.

There might be hints of McAbby in this story, but nothing really defined, just a close friendship between the two that could lead to something more off page, so to speak.

Hope you enjoy it.


	2. McPsychic (DC2)

Disclaimer still applies

* * *

"Ugh! I hate working cold cases," Tony muttered, as he lifted a folder off his desk.

"You'd prefer someone be murdered?" Gibbs snapped.

"What? No, of course not. Robbery, on the other hand, you know, loss of property without the loss of life, howev…shutting up now, boss," Tony concluded, someday he wouldn't be surprised if his boss's glare killed someone. Hopefully that someone wouldn't be him. Nah, he was made of sterner stuff. If he was a betting man, and to be honest, he was, he would place money on it happening to McGee or Palmer. With a shake of his head, Tony banished those thoughts as he tried to focus on the cold case file in front of him.

After a few minutes, Tony lifted his head up to look around him. Tim was typing away, working on his own cold case file, while Gibbs was still glaring, though now it seemed he was alternating between his computer, his phone, the file in front of him and Tony.

He would love to ease the tension in the room by tormenting Probie, but he had the feeling that if he did, he would end up being the one tormented-and _not_ by McGee. A smile crept over his face. He might not be able to vocally torment McGee, but where there's a computer, there's a way. Opening his instant messenger, he sent a message to the desk next to him.

 _'Was I right or was I right?'_

Tim rolled his eyes at the message from Tony. Before he could respond another message came up on the screen.

 _'Something is going on with him. I haven't seen him like this since…well, it's been a while.'_

 _'If we needed to know, he'll tell us.'_

 _'or maybe he wants us to prove what good investigators we are and discover it ourselves.'_

 _'yeah, I don't think so. You think it might have something to do with Ziva?'_

Tony sat in thought as he read that last message. Could it be? Ziva's departure, in the middle of a case, no less, was pretty abrupt. Perhaps bossman is simply worried about her. It really wasn't much of a secret how much the man cared for his team and some of his coworkers. Perhaps it was just worry over their missing ninja princess.

 _'ask him'_

 _'WHAT?! No way. You want to know, you ask him.'_

 _'you're the one that thought about it'_

 _'you're the SFA'_

 _'and as SFA, I'm telling you to ask'._

Tim just looked at the screen, wishing he could glare at the author of those words, unfortunately, he had the feeling that if he gave in to that desire, Gibbs would catch him and know that neither of his agents were working on a case file.

 _'If I ask he'll just think I'm being nosy or trying to delay working on a cold case, if you ask he'll take it as concern for a friend.'_

Tim sighed as he read the new message.

"You okay there, McGee?" Gibbs asked lifting his head up to look at the younger agent.

"Uh, yeah, boss. I'm fine, just frustrated about finding a lead on this case."

Gibbs nodded. "If you need any help, let me know."

"Ah, right, will do boss," Tim stated in surprise before looking back down at the file in front of him. Usually Boss didn't offer to help like that. Sure, he was always willing to help, but McGee had never heard him offer before, usually he waits for someone to come to him. Rule 28, when you need help, ask. Tim fell silent, wondering if the boss's offer of help was a result of his offer to help Gibbs.

 _'McGee! That was the perfect opportunity to ask him about Ziva.'_

Tony's message brought him back to the conversation on screen.

 _'No it wasn't.'_

 _'Yes, probie, it was'_

 _'no, tony, it wasn't, trust me'_

 _'And why wasn't it?'_

Tim bit his lip to keep from sighing again, taking the opportunity to glance over at his boss once more. He looked way too distracted to be involved in a serious or at least semi-serious conversation. Plus there was the way the man kept looking at his phone, it was as if he expected it to ring at any time. The last thing Tim wanted to do was start a conversation that would be interrupted.

 _'Well, McProcrastinator, why wasn't that the perfect opportunity?'_

 _'Because it wouldn't have accomplished anything.'_

 _'It could've helped us cross one possibility off our list'_

 _'What list?'_

 _'FOCUS, Probie'_ Tony typed and Tim could practically hear his voice echoing in his ear _._

 _'What do you mean it wouldn't accomplish anything?'_

 _'First, because he's too distracted by whatever is going on.'_

 _'Maybe he would've let something slip'_

Tim shook his head as he read Tony's words, _'When would he ever do that? And second, we would've been interrupted before the conversation really got started, shutting down the possibility of continuing it or beginning it again.'_

 _'Interrupted with what? The Sky falling? Face it, McChicken, you were just afraid he would bite your head off'_

 _'interrupted by the p_ he paused as a phone started to ring and Gibbs answered it before the first ring even stopped. Tim quickly backspaced his cursor three times as he changed the last word. ' _that'_

 _'whoa, McPsychic, you've been holding out on me…and you've been spending too much time with Gibbs if you picked up his powers'_

Time grinned as read Tony's response, still keeping his eye on his boss who quickly hung up his phone and once more headed up to the director's office.

 _'not psychic powers, jedi mind tricks.'_

* * *

 _a/n: About Tim offering help to Gibbs, I think that if Tim seriously thought anyone (Even Gibbs) was worried or concerned about something, he would offer to listen/help any way he could. He might not expect them (Gibbs) to take him up on his offer, but he would offer, that's just who Tim is; Tim would also be sure to make the offer out of earshot of Tony (as he did in the previous chapter) to keep from being teased about it._

McAbby: Don't have any real plans for it, there are some conversation and hints about their past, but nothing definite in the future, and I believe the story ends with it unsettled as well.

4-15-18


	3. G Men (DC3)

Disclaimer applies. Not Beta'd

This story takes place in November 2006 (season 4, before twisted sister)

* * *

Even though Gibbs had left the bullpen almost a half hour ago, the two agents only spoke out loud to one another if it was regarding one of the cases in front of them. That quickly changed when Tony noticed the 'party' outside the director's office.

"C'mon, Probie, even you have to admit that that's not normal."

"What?" McGee responded absently as he continued typing. He was used to Tony creating drama when it was slow. He was also used to ignoring the majority of what came out of the SFA's mouth.

"That meeting. I mean, what does the bossman, Kevin, Grant, Graves, Fishy and Geeky-"

"Geary," Tim automatically corrected.

"have in common? I mean, Geeky-"

"Geary."

"is geekier than you, McGeek. Kevin's an okay agent, still a bit green though. Grant is in Finance. Graves and Fishy are in legal. And everyone else I don't even recognize."

Tim smirked, "Wow, Tony. It's kind of sad you don't recognize the director."

Tony just rolled his eyes and threw a wad of paper at his partner, "Seriously, what could it be about?"

The younger agent looked at the people entering the director's office. While he was also a bit curious about it, he figured if they wanted or needed him to know, he would be informed. Still, he couldn't help sharing what little he learned from his brief glimpse at the odd crowd. "While I am not sure _what_ they are discussing, nor why that is occurring in the director's office instead of a conference room,-"

"Yeah, yeah," Tony interrupted, "I have no doubts that there is a lot you don't know, despite your so called education, but why don't you tell me what you do know for a change?"

Tim sighed, once more ignoring his partner's words, "It appears to be something that they are doing alphabetically, though I don't know why they are starting with the letter G."

"G?"

Tim rolled his eyes, "All of their last names begin with G. Gibbs, Grant, Graves, Kevin Giroux, Michael 'Fishy' Gills, Geary, Goss, Grainger, G-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Tony interrupted, throwing another wad of paper at his probie. "Well, that is quite the coincidence…and of course, rule 38, no such thing as a coincidence.

"Now that we know the who, we just have to figure out the _why_."

"We? Oh, no, Tony, you are on your own on that one. I have plenty here to keep me busy," Tim countered, gesturing to the stack of cold case files on his desk.

"Aren't you curious?"

"Curious? Yes. Suicidal enough to investigate the reason for a meeting taking place behind closed doors in the director's office? No."

"Guess it'll be up to the _real_ investigator then."

"Yeah, tell me how that works out for you," Tim said, not about to be cornered into participating. "I'll be over here trying to think of nice things to say at your funeral."

"Hey! What do you mean trying? There's a lot of nice things you could say about me. For instance, how funny and charming I am; how handsome; that everything you learnt, whether it be regarding investigating or impressing the ladies, you learnt from me; how-"

Once more Tim tuned out the older agent as he went back to work.

* * *

"I'm so glad this manic Monday is over," Tony muttered as he pressed the button for the elevator, McGee next to him.

"Manic? It was actually pretty calm, weren't you the one saying you were bored?"

"Manic as in weird," Tony explained, as the elevator dinged and the two entered. Since it was still fairly early, they had it to themselves, at least at the moment.

"Yeah, the weirdest part is Boss sending us home early."

Tony snorted, "I still think the meeting of the G's is weird. I'm telling you, something's going on."

"If it involves us, they'll let us know."

"Why did you become an investigator?" Tony asked rhetorically. "How can you _not_ help but be curious about things."

"Hey! I'm curious."

"About how computers work, maybe, but regarding things going on around you? You never ask any questions."

"Don't have to with you around," Tim retorted. "One, because if it involves you, you'll tell everyone _everything_ , whether we want to know about it or not and two, you're curious enough for ten people. Asking someone every question possible and then some, even, no," he corrected himself, " _especially_ if they don't want to talk about it or don't want you to know."

Tony grinned, pleased with that description of him. "Thank you."

"It wasn't a compl-oh, never mind." Tim concluded, shaking his head, as the two left the elevator and started to walk to the parking garage.

"To get back to the case,"

"Tony, there is no case,"

"There should be," Tony decided. "If I'm investigating it, there should be a case. You know what? I'm going to create a case file for this. Hmm, I wonder if I could find a legitimate reason to talk to one of the G's."

"You didn't even recognize some of them."

"Well, obviously I won't talk to those G's," Tony snapped. "Hmm, your job, Probie, is to come up with a reason for me to question, talk with one of them. Let's see, talking to the director is out."

Tim laughed, he would love to see Tony try to work the director, trying to get answers.

"Likewise with searching Gibbs' desk."

"Tony. Stop. I think you're focusing on this too much, especially if you want to break into Gibbs' desk."

"Tim, Tim, Tim, didn't you hear what I said, I said that was out. But I need something. What am I overlooking?" he asked himself, tapping his finger to his chin.

"Oh." Tony said as he came to a standstill.

"What?" Tim questioned as he looked at his partner in concern.

"Do you think the thing troubling Gibbs involved Abby?"

"Abby?" Tim squeaked nervously.

"Yeah, I mean, separate from the G thing. The boss spent an awful lot of time in the Director's office _and_ downstairs in Abby's lab today. Way too much time since we had no case. I wonder if she's okay."

"How do you know he was there?"

Tony snorted, "Because I kept seeing him carrying Caf-Pows, and I don't think they were for him."

"I…Abby does love Caf-Pows," Tim admitted.

"So, either she was really thirsty, she or someone is sick, or she was upset and Gibbs was trying to cheer her up.

"I went down there earlier," Tony confessed, "Boss wasn't there then, but Abby was. She was very secretive and anxious for me to leave. When has Abby ever been like that? Usually she loves visitors. Really makes me wonder."

Tim couldn't refute his statements.

"Well, night, Probie," Tony called as he got into his car.

"Damn it," Tim muttered as he realized that he followed Tony to his car instead of heading towards his own. He really needed to stop listening to DiNozzo. Especially now. All he could think about was his idea that Abby was sick or upset about something.

Like Tony, he had gone down to the lab earlier that day. Unfortunately, his visit seemed to coincide with Abby's break. He waited outside the locked lab doors for a few minutes, before deciding that he needed to get back to the bullpen. He did, however, slide a note under the door asking Abby to contact him when she could. It was a bit surprising that he hadn't heard from her the entire day.

* * *

4-19-18

Thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited this story


	4. Double Trouble (DC4)

Disclaimer still applies

Not Beta'd

Bit of a longer chapter, but I don't think you guys will mind :)

* * *

After watching Tony drive off, Tim headed to his car. As he sat in the driver's seat, he found himself unable to start his car and leave the Navy Yard. Before he knew it, Tim found himself back at work. He first went to the bullpen, putting down his belongings and taking off his coat. He took a quick look around, not sure if his boss was still in nor how Tim would explain his own presence. All he knew was that he couldn't get Tony's words out of his head. If Abby was upset or sick, why didn't she tell him? Was that why she didn't respond to his message? Not being able to wait another minute, and knowing he wouldn't get a wink of sleep if he didn't find out the truth about Abby, he made a quick stop before heading to her lab via the stairs.

"Whatcha got, Abs?" he heard Gibbs ask. Well at least now he knew his boss was still here, now he only had to think of a reason to explain why he was.

"Not a Caf-Pow," Abby replied smartly, looking at his empty hands. Tim almost entered, ready to come to her rescue when his boss's words stopped him.

"Not an official case."

Why was Abby working on an unofficial case? Tim wondered.

"Even more reason, you might have to bribe me to keep silent."

Outside the lab doors, Tim could imagine his boss's reaction to that statement. If he or Tony had said something like that he had no doubt that they would've received the head slap of the century.

"Oh, don't give me that look, you know I won't say anything," She smiled. "Besides, with no proof, who would believe me?"

"No proof?" Gibbs repeated doubtfully, staring at her computer screen, the specimen jars, "What's all this then?"

"DNA, baby paraphernalia, pictures, a note, to name a few items. Doesn't prove that someone at NCIS just became a father."

Baby paraphernalia? Father? Tim mouthed.

"Just? The babies are **almost a year** old."

Babies?

"Ah, but according to the note, presumably written by the mother, the father didn't know about them before now."

"Still might not," Gibbs added, a sound of hope in his voice.

"With the evidence we have so far, all suspects-"

"Suspects?" Gibb questioned, echoing Tim's thoughts.

"Er, potential candidates for fatherhood?" Abs hesitatinlgy offered in return, receiving a reluctant nod of acceptance at the suggestion. "Right, well, all candidates were informed of the situation, since we required a DNA sample to test."

Part of Tim felt relief that he had been kept unaware of this situation. While he did hope to someday be a father, he would've liked to have been there from the beginning: sharing the news with family and friends, morning sickness, weird cravings, 3 a.m. feedings, he didn't want to miss a second of it.

Another part of him was shocked that _Tony_ remained uninformed as well and surprised that Gibbs might be one of the potential fathers.

Deciding he might as well come clean, he took advantage of the silence to enter Abby's lab. "Hey Abs, had a question to ask, so I figured I'd bring you down a Caf-Pow. Hi, Boss," he greeted Gibbs as he held the cup out to Abby.

"Ooooh," Abby squealed, grabbing the drink, "Nice to know someone still loves me."

"Or just hasn't learned that it isn't necessary to bribe you to have you do your job," Gibbs commented, glaring at the forensic scientist.

Tim stayed quiet a moment before speaking up, "It could also be seen as an apology for overhearing your earlier conversation."

Gibbs head whipped around as his glare settled on his agent. Tim held his hands up in mock surrender. "I didn't come down here to eavesdrop. I didn't even know you were here when I came down. And I know I should have notified you of my presence sooner, but well…honestly, I was so surprised at what I heard that I didn't think about it."

Eyeing McGee suspiciously, Gibbs replied, "And what exactly did you hear?"

"Pretty much everything you said," he admitted quietly. "And I repeat my offer from earlier today. I'll help in anyway I can, no questions." At the incredulous look he received, Tim rephrased, "Okay, so I'll have questions. I'll try not to ask them but if er, when I do, if you can't or don't want to answer, I'll understand."

"Good. Let's get to work," Abby said eagerly, launching into an explanation.

"So, two babies,"

"Babies? Two?"

"Two babies," Abby confirmed that he hadn't misheard, "Twins, we were led to believe, were abandoned in our building, late Sunday evening,"

"Wh-"

"Please hold all questions until the end of class," Abby remarked, cutting Tim off and holding up a hand, palm out towards him. "There is a good chance they will be answered by the time my lecture is finished."

Gibbs shook his head as he headed out the door. "Okay, Abs, I'll leave this in your hands. Put him to work once you get him caught up."

"They were left with a note stating that their father worked here. The father's identity was not revealed, but it was written that if we learn the children's names, then we would be able to identify the father."

Tim nodded, indicating that he was following along.

"The note also stated that she-we presume the mother-was sorry to do it this way, but she needed to prepare."

"Abby, sorry to interrupt, but could I see the note?"

With a sigh at her story time being interrupted, she led him to the table where the note was preserved in a clear, plastic, evidence bag.

After a quick perusal of the note and absently drumming his fingers on the table, he asked, "So what lead you to believe the father's last name began with a G?"

At his words, Abby's eyes widened in shock, while outside the door, Gibbs' narrowed in suspicion.

"This," Abby finally answered, handing him one evidence bag, one a pink blanket with ' **KASG** ' on a corner, and indicating another bag, this one containing a blue blanket, also embroidered, this time with ' **TASG** '.

"No…I don't think so," Tim said quietly, absently tracing the letters on the blanket in his hand.

"What do you mean you don't think so?" Abby snapped at him, trying to glare him into submission. "The babies obviously carry their father's name."

"Perhaps," Tim allocated, "But most likely not."

"Come on, you know children have their father's surname."

"Traditionally, yes, but not always."

"Ugh! You're being impossible to deal with," Abby muttered. "Learn the children's names and we learn who the father is."

"Yes, bu-"

"No buts," Abby snapped. "Follow the evidence. That's what we do."

"I agree-"

"Finally," Abby squealed triumphantly.

"ButIstilldon'tthinkthefather'ssurnamealsobeginswithaG." Tim rushed to get out, stepping out of reach of Abby's hand

"What?"

"Hear him out," Gibbs interrupted.

"Gibbs," Abby said with a jump, "I thought you left," she began.

"I did, came back for something and decided to eavesdrop, seemed to be the thing to do today," he added with a look at his agent. "Now let McGee speak. I want to hear his opinion."

"Only 'cuz you hope you're not the father," the lab tech muttered, earning one of the few scowls aimed at her from the former marine.

"Can you blame him?" Tim asked. "I mean, I hope to have a family some day but I wouldn't want it to happen this way. I can't think of anyone who would like to hear they became a father through an NCIS or police investigation-official or otherwise. I mean, finding out because your _children_ were abandoned with a _note_? Who does that? It sounds like a plot for a book or one of Tony's movies. Things like this shouldn't happen in real life.

"I can understand needing help, needing time," Tim continued his rant, "but to not even tell the father that you were expecting? That he had children? To not turn to him when or if things got to be too much? To never even give him a chance?"

Tim stopped and took a deep breath before letting it out. "Which is why I don't think the G is significant. At least, not in the way you are interpreting it as. Yes, the note says learn the kids name and learn the father's identity, but that doesn't mean that they are sharing a surname. Especially if the mother never told their father that she was expecting. If she withheld that information from him, why would she give _her_ kids _his_ name?"

"So the G could be for her name," Gibbs stated.

"Could be, and quite possibly is," Tim admitted, "Of course since she said the kids' names are key to learning the identity of their father, it could be something else significant to the father, possibly a location. Where they met, or perhaps where he grew up, went to school, things like that. It could also be a family name of someone else related to the father, parents or grandparent's name or maiden name."

"But how else would discovering the name of the kids help to identify the father?" Abby asked, not willing to give up her theory that the G surname was shared with their father.

"Lots of ways," Tim argued, "Depending on how well she knew him. Not just biblically," Tim snapped when Abby started to snicker. "The kids could be named after someone in his family, someone important to him, named after a nickname of his, perhaps an anagram of his name or hometown. Perhaps the name is a variation of his name. Names have meanings, origins. Perhaps there is a common theme in the names.

"Look," Tim said, pointing at the middle initials on the blankets. "Both blankets have 'AS' in the middle. It is rare for American children to have more than one middle name. It could be that it is tradition in her family to do so. However, it is more likely _those_ initials will help identify the father. Perhaps the 'A' and 'S' represent his initials or one of them stands for his surname while the other is hers. Again, it could be a location of some importance to one or both of them."

Tim shrugged, "Then again, perhaps she just couldn't decide what middle name to give her kids and gave each of them two."

"That happen to begin with the same letter?" Gibbs asked skeptically.

Tim tipped his head in acknowledgement, "Rule 39, I agree."

"Then perhaps, the last two initials represent a hyphenated last name, of course, they probably would've included the hyphen on the monogram," Tim added.

"That's a lot of perhapses," Abby commented with a scowl.

"Yeah, it is," Tim admitted, "But we really can't assume anything or take things at face value."

"I know," Abby agreed with a frown, knowing that she violated her number one rule of keeping an open mind when it comes to evidence.

Gibbs bent his head, to hide the smile on his face that showed how proud he was of his agent. "What else you got?"

"I suspect that she didn't plan to do this-"

"But-"

"I mean reveal the kids to the father. I'm sure she intended to keep all knowledge of them from him. This part about preparing…she's trying to buy herself some time before we eventually find her. She knows it's inevitable, but something is forcing her to take this action.

"I don't mean force as in blackmail or such, but more circumstances. Most likely she didn't plan on this pregnancy. And definitely didn't plan on twins. Maybe she or one of the kids are ill or maybe she lost her job and is having trouble finding one while caring for two infants. Perhaps housing is an issue. Anyway, she is _preparing_ for something. She didn't dump the kids to go clubbing or on vacation. There is something she needs to do or have done and it's not completely positive," Tim trailed off, as he noticed the two staring at him. Giving his shoulders a slight shrug, he added, "Of course, I could be reading too much into this,"

"How did you get all of that from a few short lines? And the thing about the names as well?"

Tim shrugged again, "Tony probably told you that I like to write. Words are my trade. She might not have picked up on why she phrased things a certain way and probably didn't mean to do it, but what we say and how we say it conveys much more than we usually intend it to. As for the names…I researched a lot of name for various stories that I have written. Many authors do. They might assign a name to a character not just based on how the name sounds, but meaning, origin, historical significance. Some parents do something similar when naming a child."

"Give an example,"

"Not now, Abby," Gibbs interrupted. "Good job, McGee. Looks like I owe you that Caf-Pow."

"Gibbs," Abby protested.

"Right now I think it's time we call it a day. Abby, tomorrow, show him the rest of the evidence and get his take on it. Maybe he'll have more insights."

" _All_ of the evidence?" Abby smirked knowingly.

Tim looked between the two before asking the question he wanted to ask earlier, "Hey, where are the babies anyway?"

* * *

4-25-28

So as I mentioned before, this takes place before Twisted Sister, so, most of the team does not know about Tim's book being published.

Thank you to all who reviewed (I love them) and to everyone who favors/follows.


	5. One Child, Two Child, (DC5)

Disclaimer still applies (in other words, I own nothing)

I believe this is my longest chapter (both for this fic and ever). I hope to update again later this week, but am going on vacation (again) on Friday, so am not sure if I'll be able to do so before I leave or even next week while I'm away.

In case you haven't realized it yet, this story is AU, and strays from canon. Along those lines, I took some liberties with the backgrounds of various characters, in this chapter, Tim's. Let me know what you think.

* * *

As his boss commanded, Tim went home soon after that meeting in the lab, walking out with Abby who was just preparing another DNA test before leaving herself. Tim was also ordered to report to the bullpen at 0630 Tuesday to be read into the unofficial case. Tim reasoned that most likely Gibbs had to report to the director and let her know about his involvement, which is why the older man didn't have him stay last night.

Upon entering the bullpen, Tim set down his bag and coffee. As he went to remove his coat, Gibbs stood up and shook his head. "With me," he said, heading towards the elevator. "Keep the coat, leave the coffee," he added when Tim went to pick it up. After another sip, Tim left it on his desk and raced after his boss, silently following the older man.

It wasn't long before they were out of the building and in front of a set of doors the next block over.

"Huh, Naval Yard Daycare," Tim read when they came to a stop. "Good choice."

"Seemed the obvious solution," Gibbs shared as they entered the building. After signing in and showing his badge, Gibbs indicated for McGee to do the same before he conversed with guard at the security desk. "Agent McGee is to be listed as an allowed visitor, no restrictions and an additional emergency contact," he announced to the attendant and Tim before leading the way to the nursery.

"Boss?"

"If you're gonna be involved in helping to figure this out, might as well make it easier for you."

"Yeah, but emergency contact?"

Gibbs' face remained stoic as he said, "I'd rather they wake you up at 2 a.m. with an emergency than me."

Tim snorted, he had no doubts that that was the truth. "It would be worth telling Tony about this just to have him be the emergency contact."

Gibbs smirked, "I think Tony would break out in hives just at the thought of being responsible for a child, let alone two."

"Hives, huh?" Tim pondered with a smile. That would be a good opportunity to get back at the Senior agent for the tormenting he did when Tim caught poison ivy. "Boss, you're really not giving me a reason _not_ to tell him here," he admitted, without thinking first, bracing himself for the headslap he knew was coming. After a few moments without the expected sound or pain, Tim met his boss's gaze.

"Look, McGee, Tim," Gibbs corrected himself. It wasn't like Tim to spread or dramatize tales to seek attention or revenge, however, he wanted to make sure his agent knew how serious this situation was, "The Director is trying to keep this as low key as possible. She is deciding who will be told and when. I'm sure you can imagine the fallout this story would bring, from the public, SecNav, other agencies. I'm fully vetting you into this because from just one conversation you've given more insight than everyone else combined. Don't make me regret that," he ordered

"Got it, boss," Tim acknowledged. "Is that why CPS wasn't called?"

"It's still an option if we don't figure this out quickly. The problem is, if they get involved, well, it's pretty much out of our hands…and the father's. Once he is identified, if he wants to take custody he would have to go through the courts and the system. In addition, the mother could be facing charges for desertion or abandonment. Yes, she might deserve it, but as you pointed out, we don't know _why_ she did this."

"Wow. I think that's the most I've ever heard you say at once." Tim spoke without thinking, earning a slap on the back of his head. "Right. Shutting up now, boss."

"Good," Gibbs stated, opening the door in front of him and leading McGee to a spot between two cribs. Spreading out his arms, he shared, "There they are."

"Wow. They are small."

"Well, yeah," Gibbs drawled, "they're babies."

Tim grinned, "Do we know how old they are? After all, that would impact the investigation."

"A few months shy of a year, the doctors say. Any where between eight months and eleven. No two can agree on the exact age, since it isn't uncommon for twins to be born early, and have to catch up so to speak."

"But they're healthy, right?" Tim asked worriedly, one finger absently rubbing against a baby's cheek.

"Yes, assuming that the doctor's age estimates are correct. No obvious health concerns. Normal range for height and weight, no signs of illness, disease, disability, or abuse."

"One theory gone," Tim muttered before breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear that they are healthy."

"With a healthy set of lungs as well," Gibbs added when one of the twins started to cry, "Pick her up."

"Uh," Tim hesitated, remembering the last time he tried to hold a child in front of his boss.

"Tim, if you're listed as a contact, you need to be able to _be_ in contact with them."

"I know boss, it's just, well, I'm really not that comfortable holding babies."

"I remember," Gibbs smirked, before adding, "And you never will be if you don't start interacting with them. I thought you wanted to be a dad someday."

"I do, but you know, I'll have nine months to prepare. Get used to the idea of holding an infant again, maybe take some classes, you know, practice before I actually have to do it."

"Not everything can be learned through a classroom. Best kind of learning is hands on."

"I know," Tim admitted quietly and perhaps a bit fearfully, "it's just, well, it's been a while."

"Not that long ago," Gibbs reminded him. "And if you don't act soon, her brother is going to join in."

"You coul-" Tim began, only to be cutoff by aforementioned brother.

"I'll get him, you take care of her," he ordered.

"Yes, boss," Tim grudgingly agreed, before taking a deep breath and leaning over to hold the tiny pink bundle. Learnt behavior had him making sure the baby was securely in his arms, her tiny head and bottom supported as he cradled her to his chest. Nervously, he looked around, "Um, is there a chair or something around here?"

Looking up from the blue bundle in his arms, Gibbs noticed that his agent seemed paler than normal. "This way," he inclined his head, leading the younger man to a small circle comprised of rocking chairs. "Sit."

Grateful, Tim eagerly obeyed.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," came the automatic reply.

"Hmm. You seemed much more enthused about seeing the kids yesterday."

"At that point they were more abstract," Tim muttered with a self-deprecating laugh. "And it was more curiosity than anything else," he admitted. "I wouldn't have minded seeing them, even interacting with them, but holding them…" he trailed off, looking disbelieving at the bundle in his arms.

"What's going on, McGee?"

"Nothing," Tim replied, avoiding the older man's eyes as he cradled and cooed to the small being in his arms, trying to focus on her and nothing else.

"McGee."

Tim continued as he was, and for the first time he could remember, blatantly ignoring his boss, or rather, the question his boss had asked.

"Tim."

He continued to evade Gibbs' stare, by looking down at the girl in his arms, "Think we can tell Tony that I spent the morning with a cute brunette in my arms?"

Gibbs frowned at his agent's response, deciding not to let him get away with that comment nor off the hook with a head slap. If Tim had been honest with him and said he didn't want to discuss it, he would've dropped the topic, however since he was acting so out of character, Gibbs decided it wasn't in the best interest of the young agent to do so. He would have to be direct, the Timothy McGee he knew would be too polite to ignore him or blow him off. "Now I know something's wrong. The fact that you're trying to act like Tony is proof enough. Talk to me."

Still focusing on the object he held, he softly began, "You might not know this, but I'm an older brother. There's almost 10 years between us. I spent a lot of my time helping my mother around the house, usually by entertaining the babies."

"Babies?"

Tim nodded absently, still focused on baby in his arms, "Twin girls, my sisters, Sarah and Elizabeth. There was a reason for the gap between our ages," Tim admitted sadly. "My mother had trouble carrying another pregnancy to term after me. It was quite the celebration when my siblings were born," Tim said, smiling at the memory, before smiling down at the baby who had fallen back asleep. "I promised that I would be the best big brother I could be. I would help them, protect them, teach them everything they needed to know."

"I'm sure you did."

Tim continued to rock the child in his arms; his eyes focused not on the baby, but rather seemed to be lost in the past. "The doctors here were right. Twins are often born early and with complications because of that. Sarah and Elizabeth spent about an additional two months in the hospital after they were born. The day we took them home was another day we celebrated," Tim smiled, "It was actually a few days before my birthday and I thought that was the best present ever. They seemed to thrive once we were home, couldn't even tell that they had been sick. Before we knew it, their first birthday was approaching. Everything seemed fine, normal. That night, as usual, I helped put them to bed. My mother had Sarah and I had Elizabeth. We went through the regular bedtime routine, clean diapers, making sure that we placed them on their backs, that there was nothing in their cribs that could hurt them. We wound up their mobile, turned on the baby monitor, shut off the light, and closed the door. Same thing we did every night." Tim said softly, to him, his voice sounded distant, as if lost in the fog.

Noticing the tears silently sliding down his agent's cheeks, he gave a nod of his head to one of the nursery workers, indicating her to approach. When she did, Gibbs released the bundle in his arms to her care to be returned to his crib. After a few more moments had passed and no sound emitted from the younger agent, Gibbs prodded, "What happened, Tim?"

A small choked sob escaped his lips before he continued, "The next thing I know, Sarah's crying, my mom's screaming and my dad's yelling on the phone. Sarah woke up during the night, something they- _she_ hadn't done since they were four months old, not even when they were teething." Tim paused, caught up in his memories, "After a while when she didn't go back to sleep, my mother got up to check on her. Apparently nothing she did calmed Sarah down. She was a bit surprised that Elizabeth wasn't up as well, one, because even though they were fraternal twins, they seemed to do everything together, and two, well, Sarah was loud and Elizabeth was right next to her in her own crib."

Gibbs walked over to him and rubbed a hand on his back, trying to comfort as best he could without startling Tim.

"When she went to check on Lizzie, she noticed that she wasn't breathing. It seems that sometime during the night, she just stopped. No rhyme, no reason. She just stopped breathing. My mom immediately put Sarah down and started to perform infant CPR on Lizzie, while screaming for my dad to call 911. That's when I woke up. Seeing what was going on I grabbed Sarah and took her back into my room, trying to get her to quiet down.

"She eventually did. She tired herself out and fell back asleep, but Lizzie never woke up."

Gibbs continued to rub his hand along his agents back, not knowing what to say, or rather, knowing that no words could provide sufficient comfort. Minutes passed and when it seemed that Tim had calmed down and regained control of his breathing, Gibbs crouched down in front of him. "You need anything, McGee?" he quietly asked.

Tim shook his head, "I'm good," he answered, tightening his grip on the baby in his arms.

"You will be," Gibbs stated, once more rubbing his back, "You will be, Tim."

The two sat in companionable silence for about a half hour before Tim broke it. "She's awake again."

"Which means her brother probably won't be too far behind," Gibbs stated as he got up to check on the boy in his crib, returning empty handed to Tim's side.

"Now what?" Tim asked.

"Keep her entertained while I get their bottles ready," Gibbs instructed.

"Entertained how?"

The older man smirked, "The hula is an option."

"I don't think so, boss," Tim horrifyingly argued.

"Then talk to her," he stated as he began to walk away.

"About what? I highly doubt she wants to know about the latest app or computer programs I'm designing, I think only Abby really cares or at least understands about that."

"At that age they care more about the tone being used than the actual words. Some words they recognize, but not a lot."

"Right, okay then," Tim muttered as he watched his boss leave. With a deep breath he began speaking softly to the bundle in his arms, not hearing when a few minutes later Gibbs returned with two bottles and a baby in his arms. _"Every day, from here to there, funny things are everywhere."_

"Are you quoting Dr. Seuss?" Gibbs asked as he held one of the bottles out.

Tim blushed, "It was either that or Shakespeare. Somehow I don't think she'll appreciate King Lear."

Gibbs nodded, taking the seat next to Tim and beginning to feed the baby in his arms. "Kelly always enjoyed The B Book," he stated softly with a sad smile before the two agents once more fell into a comfortable silence as they fed the infants in their arms.

"Aw, man, we're gonna need burp cloths," Tim stated when the baby in his arms spit out the bottle nipple. His eyes quickly darted around the room trying to locate where they might be.

"Here," Gibbs responded, handing him a receiving blanket he had draped over his arms.

"Thanks," Tim acknowledged as he put the cloth in place before re-positioning the infant. "So, I'm getting the feeling that you've been over here a lot in the last two days."

Gibbs just met his gaze.

"Right," Tim said with a nod, "Investigating the case. Looking for clues, gathering evidence."

Gibbs turned his head away and smirked. A few minutes he later, he inclined his head towards the girl in McGee's, Gibbs asked, "Does she remind you of anyone?"

"Boss?" came the strangled response.

"Aw, hell, McGee, I don't mean your sister," he stated softly in apology. "I meant, you've been rocking and looking at her for while now, do any of her features look familiar?"

Tim just looked at the older man, not quite sure what his boss was asking.

"C'mon, McGee, you're observant, a trained agent and investigator, as well as an author. Just wondering if she looks familiar, there is a chance after all that they look like their father."

Tim stared at the older agent in shock, "Boss, that's a hard thing to do."

"What is?"

"Seriously, boss?" Tim asked in shock. "You want me to try to identify the father by comparing features of the men I know at NCIS with the baby I'm holding? I mean, I usually don't look or memorize my coworker's features, male or female," he added when he imagined the comments Tony would've made if he heard that last sentence.

Gibbs just met his stare.

"Usually it's the other way around," he muttered, eyes soaking up the little girl's features. "What are you guys calling her anyway?"

"Girl Doe," the day care worker supplied, startling Tim who had not noticed her entrance. "Her brother's Boy Doe," she concluded, silently offering to take the burp cloths from the two men before she continued on with her duties.

"Oh, that's so wrong," Tim argued as he absently ran a finger down the girl's cheek. "Isn't that right baby girl? We need something much prettier and sweeter than that, now, don't we?"

Gibbs smirked at the image of his agent cooing to an infant, "She already has a name, we just don't know it…yet."

"Yeah, but Girl Doe?" McGee commented in disgust. "Considering we identify unknown bodies as John or Jane Doe, Girl Doe isn't an improvement. No doubt the only reason why she's not Baby Doe is because there were two of them, though perhaps we should be grateful they weren't labeled Baby Doe A and Baby Doe B," he complained, scrunching his nose in disgust. "Or Baby Doe 1 and 2. Still, it isn't appealing in the least. Even just Baby Girl would be better. Girl Doe is just," Tim shuddered, "So harsh and off putting. This pretty little girl deserves more."

"Well, words are your expertise, so what would you suggest?"

Tim stood up and began walking with the Girl Doe, talking continuously, often close enough for others to hear. "Gibbs is right…have name…don't know…initials…remove s?…Kag? Kage? Kaggy? ugh, no, almost as bad…remove g? Kass, not bad …Kass," he said again, looking at the girl in his arms. "Kass…as pretty as that is, I don't think it's you. Um…what else do we have...Kase, definitely not, bad enough you are part of an 'unofficial case, she doesn't need to be named that… Kaz, eh, okay …Ka. nah, while definition is cool, reminds me too much of a villainous snake, yes it does," he continued looking at the baby, "And you're not evil at all, are you, sweet thing? Hmm…initials…initial…k?...so many names begin with k…impossible to pick one…why couldn't it be Q or X?...easier to guess….k?…k?...Kay?"

"Kay," Tim finally announced, seeing the grin on her face. "It's her initial, pretty and feminine, yet still strong and not too girly. It could be a good nickname once her name is discovered, so she might not get too confused. Plus there is the fact that in mythology Kai was the priestess of B…yeah, not important" he added sheepishly, noticing the smirk on his boss's face.

Eager to change the subject and avoid the look of amusement in his boss's eyes, Tim looked down at Kay, "Well, now, baby girl, who do you look like? Hopefully your mommy, 'cause the men at NCIS aren't all that pretty," he joked as he continued to look at her. After a few minutes, he continued, "Gibbs, I really think this is an impossible task."

"Just try, maybe you'll notice something."

"You know," Tim began, still hoping to get out of this assignment, "You are probably more familiar with the employees at NCIS, I mean, you've been there longer, and have access to areas I don't," he stated. "Plus, you're very observant, a seasoned investigator. If anyone would pick up on the similarity of her features, I'm sure it would be you."

Gibbs just stared at him in reply.

"Fine," Tim sighed in resignation, "Sandy blonde hair that could quite possibly darken as she gets older, cute button nose, full lips, eyes…c'mon sweetheart," he cooed, "Let me see those eyes," once more he rubbed his finger along the babies cheek. It wasn't long before her head turned in his direction and her eyes were opened. "Hmm, hard to tell, could be light brown or hazel, perhaps even green. Of course, Green is probably the least likely, since it is the rarest eye color. And depending on age, it is possible for her eyes to darken still. Either way, they're definitely not blue," Tim stated.

Gibbs silently sat in the rocking chair next to Tim, just listening to him catalog Kay's features. Part of him was amused at not just the interaction between the man and baby but also the knowledge that McGee held. Looking down into his arms, he realized that many of those traits Tim cataloged weren't shared with her brother, including the eyes. His eyes appeared to be blue, close to the color of his own eyes if Gibbs was being honest. Swallowing audibly, he lifted his head back up and looked at the youngest male member of his team.

"Er," Tim said, startled at both the gaze and his supervisor's audible reaction to something, "Well, right now, her, their most obvious or distinguished feature is the hair. Both of them have hair that's light brown/sandy blonde in color, it's fairly straight, though her slightly longer hair seems to have a little bit of a curl or wave to it. I haven't seen anyone at the yard with similar hair. Of course, if it's the father's hair and he's older, he could be gray by now. And would probably keep it short, especially if there is a curl to it. There's also the possibility that his hair was this color when he was this age and it darkened naturally as he got older. Then again, he could be like Tony or Drew and dye their hair."

Gibbs' eyebrows raised, "Drew I get, nobody's hair is naturally green, but Tony?"

"Ah, Oops," Tim gulped, "Er, can we forget I mentioned that, boss?"

"Only if you can give me something from all these observations," his boss replied with a smirk.

"I'm a dead man," he muttered in defeat. "I really don't have anything for you. Babies grow and change so much during their first year, plus they can look like anyone…er, not necessarily _anyone_ , but well," Tim paused as he thought of a way to get his point across. "I get my eyes from my maternal grandmother; Sarah's eyes are the same as our mother's. My hair color is from Penny, er, my grandmother," he clarified at Gibbs' questioning look, "My nose from my grandfather. I don't look a lot like my father or even my mom, but I do look like my family."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Gibbs sighed in resignation, standing up. "It would've been too easy if they were the spitting image of their father."

"There not even the spitting image of each other," Tim laughed. "How could they be the spitting image of their father?"

Gibbs snorted at the truth of that statement, as he led the way back to the cribs, where he placed Boy Doe down and indicated for Tim to do the same with Kay. "I need a coffee, and I owe you a Caf-Pow."

* * *

5-1-18

So, always wondered why such an age gap between Tim and Sarah, so I supplied a reason :)

As I mentioned, a longer chapter than normal, lots here. I'm eager to know what you think.

Gibbs might seem a bit OoC, but I can't imagine him ignoring Tim while Tim talks about his tragic past. Gibbs definitely empathizes, while he didn't lose a sister, he did lose a wife and child. When you add in Tim's age when it happened, no doubt it was something that deeply impacted Tim's life (losing a sibling would have that effect at any age, but esp on a child who is possibly facing death for the first time.

Also, some people asked about pairings for this story, I don't have any pairings in mind or planned. There is some reference to past relationships, but that's about it.

FYI-Tim was quoting Dr. Seuss's One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.


	6. Element ary (DC6)

Standard disclaimer applies

not beta'd

* * *

"Aren't the babies adorable?" Abby gushed as Tim reentered her lab.

"Yeah," Tim replied, trying to make sure his emotions were under control. Since he now knew about the unofficial case, and had met the evidence, the star witnesses, Gibbs had sent him to help Abby in her lab instead of working on cold cases. Tim suspected it was because the older man figured he could use the distraction after talking about his sisters, something Tim was grateful for. If he entered the bullpen looking like he was crying or even just a bit 'off', Tony would be questioning him constantly until he leaned the truth.

As it was, even Abby was eyeing him suspiciously. Luckily she didn't comment on anything personal, but instead put him to work. "This is what we have so far. DNA samples from the kids and from the top susp-candidates for fatherhood." she stated, pointed to the specimen jars before whipping around to stare at Tim, "Hey, that reminds me, you knew that we suspected the father's surname began with a G _before_ I showed you the blankets, how?"

Tim explained the conversation he and Tony had the previous day and the unusual people involved in a meeting in the Director's office.

She nodded in understanding before offering Tim a gold star for figuring it out and commenting on what Tony's investigative skills would discover. Each knowing that it was highly unlikely he would stumble upon the truth.

Focusing on the unofficial case again, Abby once more began to explain what they had, what she had already done, and what they needed to do. She also explained the order they were to run the DNA comparisons and why. Unfortunately, they only had one machine to work with and each test took almost half a day to run.

Tim quickly pitched in to help, knowing that the sooner the father was identified, the better, for everyone.

"So, where's Gibbs?" Abby finally asked almost an hour after they started working.

"Do you have something?"

"No,"

"Then he'll be down when you do, you know that," Tim joked, before answering. "He said he was going to update the director, and then check in on Tony."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Tony alone in the bullpen, who knows what he's up to," she began, causing Tim to swear in alarm.

"Oh, damn," Tim hissed, earning a curious look from his lab partner, "When I go back up, I'll have to check my keyboard, phone, drawers, hell, everything for superglue and booby traps, as it is, I left my coffe on my desk."

Abby snorted at the truth in that statement. She was a bit curious about why he hadn't retrieved his coffee, but realized they had more important matters to discuss. "Maybe Tony didn't think of trying anything?" she offered hopefully.

"Abs, this is Tony we're talking about and he was already bored without a hot case to work on, remember?"

"Well, then, maybe Gibbs was there in enough time to prevent something?"

"Doubt it, Gibbs and I were both gone for a while."

"Yeah, I noticed," she nodded in agreement, continuing when Tim remained silent, "Something happen?"

Not meeting her gaze, he asked, "Not sure what you mean."

Abby's eyes narrowed at the obvious lie, "We all know how Gibbs gets when a case involves kids, and now we know why," she said sadly, alluding to the information they learned about the older agent six months ago. "He never accompanies me to the nursery, but from what the staff let slip, he is over there often."

"He was fine," Tim answered honestly, looking her in the eye. "He even held one of the babies," he offered.

"Aw, Gibbs with a baby, that must've been so cute," she cooed. "Who held the other one?"

"I held Kay," Tim admitted.

"Kay?"

Tim scrunched his nose and frowned in disgust as he supplied, "Girl Doe."

"You _named_ them?" she asked incredulously. "Tim-"

"It's okay, Abs, it's just a nickname. I couldn't picture them being called something so…so" he squirmed as he tried to think of way to explain the feelings those designations made him feel, "cold and unwelcome. I mean these are _kids_ were talking about, living kids, not unidentified bodies."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Abby agreed, backing down not only because of his words, but also his tone. Curiosity, however, wouldn't let her drop the subject just yet, though, "So, why Kay?"

"It's pretty but powerful, and it's her initial."

Gibbs snorted as he entered the room. "Apparently, it's also the name of a mythical being," he supplied. "And don't let him fool ya, Abs. It took him a good 10 minutes to come up with a name for that little angel."

Tim opened his mouth to argue, but after seeing the smiles and smirks on the faces of his companions, decided it wasn't worth it.

"So, what's Boy Doe's name?" Abby asked curiously, turning to Tim expectantly. Gibbs also looked at Tim for an answer.

"Er, uh, I don't have one," he answered honestly.

"Tim! I expected that from Tony, not from you," she scolded playfully.

"Huh? What? Expected what?"

"To play favorites, especially because of the baby's gender."

"What? No! It's not like that," he tried to defend himself, missing the grins and smirks on their faces. "Ha, ha," he said before explaining, "It's just, well, his initial doesn't work in the same way hers does."

"I don't know. I think Ducky would like it if we named him 'Tea'," she said with a smile, letting them know she was kidding. "I guess we'll just have to go a different route," Abby decided.

"Like what?"

"Well, we know he's named after his father, so why not Junior?"

"No," both males replied emphatically.

"Um, okay," she commented, not sure why she got such strong reactions from them. "Well, then, how about 'Silver'"

"He's not a horse," Gibbs replied, while Tim asked in confusion. "Why?"

"His initials, periodic table symbol for Silver."

"His initials are TA ** _S_** G."

"Huh…Guess I forgot about the S," she said with a frown, mumbling to herself, "Or manybe I thought it was TSAG," she muttered, thinking for a minute, "Well, then, there's Tantalum, Seaborgium or arsenic"

Tim frowned, "We are not calling this kid arsenic. Or after any other element."

"Cmon McGee, that would be so cool; I would love to have a nickname after one of the elements."

"Arsenic?" he questioned as Gibbs watched them, a slight smile on his face as they argued.

"Well, okay, maybe not that one" she admitted. "But I do have as much right as you to name this kid."

This last statement caused Gibbs eyebrow to arch inquisitively, "Ya think? Last I knew the _father_ worked at NCIS, not the mother."

"Well, yeah, but, seriously, what are the odds of McGee being the father? I mean, I would bet on Tony before Tim."

"Bet?"

"You know what I mean Gibbs. Who would you think would be more likely to get a woman pregnant and not know about it? _And_ have that same woman abandon her kids at the father's workplace?

"That's just not Tim's style, and that type of woman is not one he would usually date either, much less sleep with. Which is a good thing," she clarified. "Hey, maybe we should call the baby Tony. That would really freak Tony, er, DiNozzo, I mean, not the baby, out."

"Not happening," Gibbs announced, "one Tony is enough."

Gibbs announcement caused Tim to grin and whisper "ya got that right."

"No tea, no junior, no elements, & no Tony. Geesh, Tim, when you do become a father, you're going to need all nine months just to choose a name."

"Hey! I'm not that bad," he argued, protesting even more when he saw the smirk on his boss's face, "I'm not! It's just harder when working with limited parameters."

"I'm sure that's the issue, Timmy," Abby placated, patting him on the forearm.

"Hey, I already have ideas of names for any kids I might have," Tim let slip, before groaning.

"Really now?" Abby smirked. "Thinking of becoming a father?"

Tim glared at her before replying, "I've never hidden the fact that I hoped to have a family some day."

Abby looked away, not meeting his eyes, changing the topic back to the twins, "So what else did you think of before Kay?"

Tim shrugged, "Just various forms of her initials," he stated, clarifying when Abby opened her mouth, "pronouncing them, _not_ as chemical symbols."

"Fine," Abby pouted, "I get the point. And it's just as well you didn't think of elements, the only different one would be Potassium."

Tim smiled, "I tried, Kass, Kaz, Kaze, dropped the s for Kag, Ka, just things like that."

Abby nodded, "Kass is pretty," she offered.

"Yeah, but just didn't seem right."

Abby smirked, "I stand by my earlier assessment, nine months."

Tim glared at her again, while Gibbs shook his head at the camaraderie of the couple.

"So like, Tass, Taz , Taze," she continued when Tim nodded, "Tag, Tage, Ta."

"Hmm, I can understand why you haven't given him a name yet."

"See!" Tim exclaimed, feeling vindicated. "None of them seem to fit hi...really sound like valid nicknames."

Abby smirked, he was really getting into this, then again, Tim usually gave his whole heart to everything he did. "Even though you haven't valued my suggestions, I'm gonna offer it any way; I vote for Taz."

"That does seem to be the best of them," Tim admitted.

Gibbs frowned, "Isn't that the name of that crazy, out of control cartoon character?"

"Yep. That's why it's so great!" Abby grinned.

Tim and Gibbs just shook their heads at her merriment.

"Great?" A voice repeated from the doorway, "You must be talking about me, because I know you weren't talking about McMediocre here," Tony teased, waving a hand towards the younger agent.

* * *

5-11-18

Didnt get a chance to update before vacation, so I'm posting this from WDW :)

hope you enjoy it, part two should be up early next week


	7. DiNosy (DC7)

Disclaimer still applies

not beta'd

This begins where the previous chapter left off...Tony entering the lab.

* * *

"Great?" A voice repeated from the doorway, "You must be talking about me, because I know you weren't talking about McMediocre here," Tony teased, waving a hand towards the younger agent.

Gibbs just stared at his agent.

"Of course, they could be talking about you, boss. And now that I think about it, I'm sure they were. After all, nobody's as great as you."

Gibbs continued to stare.

"He should've quit while he was ahead," Tim muttered, exchanging a grin with Abby.

"So," Tony began anew, looking around the lab to avoid his boss's eyes, "this is where you all escaped to." Noticing the specimen jars, he glared at Tim and Gibbs, "what's this? Did we get a case no one told me about? That's not right. Do you guys know how bored I am upstairs, by myself? With only McMissing's coffee cup for company?"

"He never learns," McGee softly stated to Abby as he shook his head.

"It's part of his charm," she whispered back, causing Tim to snort in disbelief. It was a testament how upset Gibbs was at Tony that he never even looked at the two people in the room providing commentary.

"So, what can I do to help? Interview witnesses? Place bolos? ooh, Interrogation?" He asked, eagerly. "Heck, I'll even track cell phones. Anything since it seems like you guys already went to the crime scene."

Gibbs just continued to stare.

"C'mon, boss, surely there's something I can do other than cold cases," he pleaded.

After a few minutes without a response, Tony turned away, "I get it, cold cases," he said as he headed toward the door.

Just after he exited the doorway, Gibbs called 'DiNozzo!"

"Yeah, boss?" He responded hopefully as he turned around. "What do you need?"

"Lunch," was the monosyllabic reply. "The four of us," he concluded, daring Tony to argue.

"Yes, boss...any place in particular?"

Gibbs looked at Tim and Abby to ask their opinion. The two looked at each other before simultaneously ordering "Chinese."

Tony opened his mouth to tease his Probie, but a look from Gibbs stifled the words in his throat.

"On it, boss," he said as he left.

The trio in the lab remained silent until they heard the elevator open and close.

"Gibbs, you are positively evil," she grinned, "I like it."

He just smirked before asking, "Got anything for me?"

Abby sighed, "Unfortunately no. Giardino wasn't a match, neither was Gills, we're running Gast's sample against the kids now."

"Against both of them? Isn't that a waste of time?"

"Gibbs, what do you take me for? A newbie? Even though they are twins, they are not identical, so yes, I do need to test both of them against the potential father. However, I can run the two kids against the father at the same time, it takes no more time to do that, than it would to run one of the kids against the father's."

Gibbs nodded, "So you confirmed that they are twins," he stated.

"Not really," Tim answered, rushing to explain, at the older man's questioning look, "I mean, we were able to confirm that they are full siblings, and we believe they are twins, and barring any unusual medical disorders that didn't turn up on the doctor's testing, such as ones that delay or advance aging, then they are twins," at Gibbs glare, he continued, "but there are no tests to confirm that fraternal twins are in fact twins."

Gibbs glare lessened slightly, though Tim got the feeling that he should've just replied 'yes' to his boss's earlier statement.

"Who's next for DNA Comparison?"

"Geary. That ends the four that disclosed they could possibly be the father. After that, we'll test everyone, in alphabetical order, which," she added with a grin, "means that you are next."

Silence reigned in the lab.

"Or we could go in reverse alphabetical order," she offered when he just continued to glare at her.

Tim nodded, "Reverse order is a good choice," he agreed.

"Evil, just evil," Abby muttered, eyeing Gibbs suspiciously. "I liked it better when it was turned towards Tony."

Gibbs smirked at her, "Anything else?"

"Not really. Just trying to get more information from the sus-possible father candidates, to see if we can narrow down the list. Some of them wouldn't talk to me before, but since Timmy is now on board, I figured they might confide in him. I'm sure some of them felt uncomfortable discussing this with the director as well."

"Good call," he acknowledged, "If it pans out, you might've earned yourself a caf-pow."

"Might?" she pouted.

"Anything else?"

"Not yet," Abby responded, trying to stay positive.

"Okay, let me know when you got something," he stated, as he turned to head upstairs.

"Gibbs, wait," she called to his retreating back, continuing when he turned around an arched a single eyebrow, "Well, since you are here now, we might as well talk."

"We just did."

"About the case…er, I mean, I know we talked about the _case_ , but I mean about your involvement in the case. Not as an agent, but your _potential_ involvement."

Gibbs just stared at her.

"Oh, come on. It's not like I can ignore you in this. You know the director is going to question me about this, and especially regarding you. I'm agreeing to run your DNA last, on the chance one of the others, er, wins," she said hesitantly, "But I can't not talk to you."

Gibbs just looked at her.

"Besides, how can we expect the other candidates to cooperate if you didn't? Not a very good example you're setting."

"Fine," he agreed, not really caring about being an example, but more to have this over and done with.

"Okay, then, do you feel more comfortable discussing this with myself or Tim?" Abby asked as she pointed to the empty chair.

Gibbs just stared at her as he sat down.

"Right, neither," she commented with a smile, before continuing, "So both it is. Pull up a chair, McGee," she ordered. After discussing his relationships from the approximate time of conception, and if he's been in contact with those partners since then, specifically during the time period a pregnancy would've been noticeable, she then brought up the next area of concentration about his life or past.

"Some of these questions were developed based on Tim's theories, so if you don't like them, blame him."

"Hey," Tim protested. "I was just trying to help."

"Road to hell, Timmy, road to hell," Abby muttered

"Just get on with it," Gibbs stated impatiently, "DiNozzo should be back soon."

"Right you are, el jefe. So, you know Tim's theories regarding the kids' names, so, and remember, be as honest as you can, any family names that involve those letters? Specifically A or S?"

Gibbs frowned, "I believe I had an uncle by the name of Stephen that died before I was born, but it's not something that is common knowledge. I'm not even sure of that fact. My mother's name was Anne," he admitted. "Nothing else comes to mind."

"Any nicknames?"

"Just Gunny from my marine days."

Abby frowned as she questioned, "You were a Gunny _Sergeant_?"

"Yes. But no one would give a kid the name _Sargent_ , and Kay's a girl. What would her middle name be? Sergentette?" he asked, knowing what she was thinking.

"Okay, okay, so it's a stretch," she admitted, "But you know, people have named their kids worse things. Blue, Moonbeam, Maple, Apple, Pilot, Audible, River. Well, actually, I kind of like Mo-"

"Abby, you're rambling," Tim interrupted, causing Abby to glare at him.

"You know, Timmy, since you're here, I might as well question you on this as well."

"What? Why? My last name doesn't begin with a G? Er, not that that means anything,"

Gibbs nodded, whether it was geared towards Tim's last statement or Abby's idea to include him in this questioning, neither were sure.

"Exactly," she smirked, "According to you it doesn't mean anything. Besides, it'll be good practice for me, you know, since I don't have the experience of interrogation that you guys do."

"That's what you think," Tim mumbled in audibly.

"Now next on the list, what's the name of your Hometown? Where are you from again?" she asked the two agents.

Gibbs scowled, at her question.

Tim laughed, glad for the easy question, "Navy brat, remember? Didn't really have a 'home town'."

"Well, then, current residence," she argued. "Hmm, both Silver Springs and Arlington meet part of the requirements. C'mon, Gibbs, What's your hometown?"

When he refused to answer, Abby continued, "You know I can look it up once you leave."

With a glare at the initials on the blanket, he uttered, "Stillwater."

All three went silent at his answer.

"Wow," Abby finally whispered in shock, "You might've hit the Jackpot. Anne, Arlington, Stillwater, Gunny, and _Gibbs._ "

"What about place of birth?"

"That's not something that's normally discussed," Gibbs argued. "Hell, I don't think any of my ex-wives could tell you that and I'm pretty sure it was listed on the application for the marriage license."

Abby sighed in defeat, sure she's pushed him too far. "Okay, we'll skip that question."

"Anything else?" he gruffly asked.

"I've got nothing, you, Tim?"

"Nothing," he admitted.

"Good," Gibbs stated firmly as he exited the office.

The two stared at each other as they heard the elevator door open and Gibbs call out, "DiNozzo, you can eat with them in Abby's _office_ ," he stressed, "Then head upstairs to undo whatever you did to McGee's desk."

"Boss, I wou-"

"DiNozzo," he growled.

"Yes, boss," he agreed, as the elevator doors slid shut. He quickly entered the lab and headed straight to Abby's office. "What did you guys do to him?"

"Nothing. He's just upset that we don't have anything," Abby stated as Tim turned away from Tony to cover the evidence from his wandering eye.

"Anything I can help you with?" he offered.

"It's really not your area of expertise," Abby tried to explain, "But if things change, you'll be informed."

"Right," he said dejectedly. "Can you at least tell me what it's about?"

"No can do," Abby admitted. "Even though technically, it's not even a case,"

"Abby!"

"Well, it's not," she defended. "There's no reason for him not to know that. It's not like he can look up and read a file for a non-case."

Tim sighed, "I suppose you're right."

"Usually am," she grinned, "Now pass that food over here, I'm starved."

The trio settled down to eat, the tension between the two easing with every bite they took. While Tony was still upset and feeling left out, knowing that it wasn't an actual case made him feel a bit better.

* * *

5-17-18

Wanted to have this up sooner, but I returned to work this week from vacation to find out that my boss had a miscarriage over the weekend, so things there have been hectic and my scheduling has been changing to fill in for her as needed.

Hope you all are enjoying this.


	8. Tim's not so sordid past (DC8)

Standard Disclaimer applies

Not beta'd

* * *

Tim nervously waited beside the elevator for Gibbs. The older man had informed him that if he was to be part of the investigative team, he would need to be interviewed, vetted, so to speak, as a precaution. After all, he would not only have access to the children, but to the evidence as well. If there was a possibility of him being the children's father, they needed to know that _before_ they gave him access to the lab, to preserve the integrity of the 'case' if for no other reason. Although Tim took part in the latter half of Abby's interview with Gibbs, the first half he did not participate in, at least not as the subject of the interview. His meeting with Gibbs was to correct that, due to his involvement in the case, unofficial though it might be.

Earlier, while encased in the elevator with the older agent, Gibbs had informed him of what the meeting of the G's had entailed. A few had stepped forward and admitted that they could possibly be the unidentified fathers, while the others stated that anyone they had sexual relations with during that time frame they had been in consistent contact with during the months that followed. Director Shephard had authorized Abby to test the 'admitted' against the children's DNA first, if they were cleared, then testing would begin on the remainder of the G's. If none of them were identified as the father, the search would spread out to all males in the agency, this included a task Abby and McGee would be working on to identify the most likely candidates. The Director would take steps to inform the rest of the agency regarding the situation while asking for any cooperation needed to identify the father.

"Thought it might be better just us," Gibbs stated as he called for the elevator, jolting Tim out of his thoughts.

Tim shrugged, "I appreciate the thought, but I have no secrets from Abby. As you know, I don't lie well and Abby has a way of getting me to talk."

"Hmm," Gibbs hummed evasively, while Tony watched and listened until the two were on the elevator.

"That's why I thought it was funny when she said she didn't have interview or interrogation experience."

"Right. Well, let's get started before she tracks you down," he said, as they exited the building.

"Right, boss. Um, was it really necessary to do this off site?"

"Nope. Not if you were serious about Abby knowing everything. She's almost as good as you when it comes to security cameras. No place in that building would be safe, except the restrooms."

Tim shuddered at image that brought, "Yeah, really don't want to have this conversation there."

"And if she found the footage, it would be possible that DiNozzo would then have access to it. 'Sides, I needed a coffee," Gibbs added as they entered the café. After placing and receiving their order, Gibbs led them to a small corner table. They could still be seen or watched by other patrons, but it was far enough away that they couldn't be overheard unless the eavesdropper was standing right next to them.

"I'll try to be as non-evasive as possible, but know if we learn more about the children's birth date or estimated date of conception, we might have to revisit this topic."

"Understood boss," Tim nodded in agreement.

"We'll start with the time period of Mid-April to End of June. Tell me about those relationships."

"Um, Jillian," Tim began awkwardly. After all, who wanted to discuss their romantic life or sexual encounters with their boss. Well, who other than Tony. He seemed willing, eager in fact, to share that with anyone. The next 10 minutes was spent with Tim talking to his coffee as he gave Gibbs the details he needed regarding the few relationships he had been in during April and May of 2005.

"No one else?"

"Well, there was Dotty, who, unfortunately, seemed to live up to her name. Our relationship didn't make it that far, er, physically," Tim admitted. "I had just started to see someone, and it started to get serious, at least on my part," he confessed, "Then Kate and, well, you know…" he trailed off with a shrug.

"No, Tim, I don't. Tell me."

"I just wasn't good company after that. I…Tony almost dying was tough," he admitted. "Another part of it was Kate dying, the last part was how I could've died as well. I don't know which affected me more. Either way, I just wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship at that time. I think part of me figured that in the end they or I would end up dead, so why bother," Tim concluded before emitting a strangled cry. "Oh, god, boss, I'm so sorry. I didn't mea-"

"I know. It's okay, McGee," he said, his poker face not revealing how Tim's words might have affected him. "Sounds like a bit of depression."

"Maybe," Tim admitted, "But I didn't want to be alone either."

"What happened during this time?"

"I went out drinking."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow in concern and surprise.

"I didn't get drunk, well, not often," Tim admitted.

"Doesn't sound like you at all. Could anything have occurred one of those nights?"

"I don't see how," Tim said after he thought about it for a moment. "I was never alone, always went out with a group of friends. They knew all that had gone on that spring and were extremely protective of me. The few times I couldn't drive or don't remember how I got home, one of my friends was there with me the next day, telling me that they drove me and filling in the blanks if I forget some details. Usually it was Charley," Tim added.

"Good friends," Gibbs pointed out.

"Yeah, there's a group of us that have been friends for awhile, not quite since high school or college, but still, back when we were starting out on our various pursuits."

Gibbs nodded, noticing the odd phrasing, but since it wasn't relevant to the case, he decided to ignore it at this time.

"And how long did that phase last?"

Tim blushed, "Er, the rest of May, all of June and into part of July. Didn't go on another date until July 4th weekend, and even that was more of a casual friendship thing."

Once more Gibbs nodded, this time in understanding for the reason for his agent's embarrassment. "There's nothing wrong with that. It was a difficult time for you. Not only was one of your partner's murdered, but you were a target as well. Death, facing our own mortality, has a way of throwing us off kilter."

"Yeah," Tim was more grateful than ever that his boss suggested this meeting be off site. If Tony had gotten a hold of that confession, Tim knew he would never be able live it down.

"So, now we get to your area of expertise, names."

Before Gibbs can continue, Tim responded. "Again, most of the woman I date, I don't give personal information to, however, as you know, my sister's name begins with S-Sarah. No T's or K's in the family, well, except for Timothy," he added as an after thought.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. It was like his agent to forget to include himself.

"No other A's or S's, first name or last. We went over hometown and current residence, already. Nothing regarding G either, just in case, including my partner's names. I really can't think of anything else."

"All right then, lets get another cup to go and head back in."

"On it, boss," Tim grinned as he stood to get in line for another coffee. All things considered, this 'interview' hadn't been too bad, of course since it was mostly a matter of protocol, and he sincerely doubted he was the father, he shouldn't really be surprised.

* * *

5-20-18

Hope you all enjoyed this.

More information in this 'interview' than Gibbs, but he wouldn't let me put all the details of his private life down on paper. :)

This won't be the last in depth interview we see (er, read).

Anyone wondering who the father is? I know I am :)

How about the mother? Any thought given to her?

What about the kid's names?

I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions and reactions, so feel free to review or PM me.


	9. Noisy Knight (DC9)

Don't own, no profit was made from this.

Not Beta'd

* * *

"Shh…Shhh, it's okay," Abby tried to comfort the crying baby in her arms. She had volunteered to stay tonight at the day care center to watch the twins. According to the nursery staff, the last two nights have been quiet, with nothing noteworthy occurring during the day either.

"What's the matter, little guy?" she cajoled, talking softly and walking up and down the room with him. He had started crying about ten minutes ago and when it appeared that he wasn't settling down on his own, she picked him up. It didn't look like he would be ready to stop anytime soon, either.

"Comfort and talk, they said," she mumbled, "If the babies wake up, comfort and talk. Well, I've been trying and it doesn't seem to work. If you were older I'd bribe you with candy, cookies, or toys," she laughed when Taz just cried louder. "No? Not gonna work? Guess I'll have to try something else. Maybe you're hungry?" she offered, bouncing him lightly as she went to prepare a bottle for the little guy.

There had been some debate whether or not the twins were on solid foods, but without knowing their medical history, no one wanted to test it. The diaper bag that had been left with them had contained a package of formula and a few jars of baby food, so at least the staff knew what brands the twins were used to.

Abby put the bottle together as quickly as she could while one-handed. She didn't dare put the baby down in fear that he'll either get louder, which part of her wasn't sure was possible, or wake his sister.

"Okay, sweetie, it's ready," she said as she lifted the nipple of the bottle to his mouth. "Come on, give it a try," she begged, only to watch disheartened as he kept turning his mouth away from the nipple. "No? Not hungry?" She asked, placing the bottle in the fridge. "Maybe it's a stomach ache? Did someone not burp you properly earlier?" she asked, grabbing a burp cloth and laying it over her shoulder. She then repositioned the baby and started to alternate patting and rubbing his back.

"Wow, now I think I understand what Gibbs means when he talks about my music," she muttered several minutes later, as the kid was screaming non stop in her ear. "Music! They say music soothes the savage beast, not that you're savage, little one, or a beast, just…well, just loud." she concluded.

"Hmm," she looked around the room, no radio, not that she would be able to find a baby friendly station with one hand. Same problem with the mustic on her phone. "Guess that leaves singing. "But what to sing, what to sing? I don't really know any lullabies, and I don't think you'll like Brain Matter…hmm, I know," she smirked, before launching into the 'name' song. She began with her name, then sang additional verses using Gibbs' and Tony's names. She was trying to decide whose name should be next before reluctantly admitting that it wasn't working and that she should just stop and save her breath.

"Okay, then, new tactic. It'll be just like a science experiment," she announced, trying to stay positive, "I'll keep trying until I come across something that works, and when it does, I'll make sure to make note of it for whoever has duty tomorrow and for the new father," she nodded, glad she had a plan in place.

"Hmm, maybe it's like 'open sesame', say the magic word and the doors open, except in this case, the mouth goes silent. Question is, what's the magic word?

"Hmm, maybe your new nickname will work? Should we try some of them out?" she speculated. "If there is one that you are partial too, it's okay to stop crying," she suggested, "Okay?

"There, there, Tass," she said frowning even as she said the name. It definitely had a feminine tone to it. "It's okay, Tase." Shaking her head, Abby continued, "Shhh…Hush now, Tag. I'm right here, Taze, everything will be okay, Taz." She still liked the last two the best, but it seemed the little man in her arms didn't agree. if his continued crying was an accurate gage.

"Tantalum? Seaborgium?" she tried desperately. "Silver? I don't care if your initials are TASG and not TSAG, if it gets you to stop, I'll try it." She muttered, "Okay, I get it, you don't like those nicknames, let's see if i can guess your real name, a Rumpelstiltskin type thing," she explained to the crying baby, "Feel free to stop if I get it right, okay, here goes," she took a deep breath and thought about some T names, "Tom...Taylor...Tyler...Teagen...Trevor...Trent...Tyson...Okay I give up. Please help," she pleaded, eyes lifting up towards the ceiling. "I'm almost desperate enough to call him Arsenic, or maybe give him some," she muttered "and I know Timmy will kill me if I do that, er, call him that, I wouldn't really poison him," she explained to the ceiling. "But it's either go deaf and crazy from the crying or calling him that and have Timmy be-Timmy!" she shouted in glee. "Timmy's the emergency contact tonight.

"Phone, phone, I need my phone," she sang as she went rifling through her bag with one hand to call him. Even if he couldn't get the baby to stop crying, at least she'll have company. Misery loves company, after all. Or at least someone who could give her a break and some peace and quiet.

"Timmy!" she shouted when he answered. "I need you to come down to the day care center."

 _"Abby? What's going on?"_

"I need you to come down and help me at the day care center."

 _"I'm on my way. Now tell me what's wrong? What's that sound?"_

"It's Taz. He's crying."

" _I'll be right there,"_

"Don't hang up," Abby begged. "I'm sorry to call, but I can't get him to stop crying. It's been going on for about half an hour."

 _"Sarah! How's Sarah?" came the panicked response._

Abby frowned at the phone, wondering if Tim was talking to her "Who's Sarah?" Abby asked him, jolting Tim out of the past.

 _"Never mind that. Kay. How's Kay?"_

"She's fine, sleeping. She didn't even wake up, McGee."

 _"What?! Go…go check on her," he pleaded, repeating the order when she didn't respond. "Abby! Go check on Kay."_

"I'm going, I'm going," she agreed, walking towards the cribs. "Still sleeping, just like I told you."

 _"Are you sure she's okay? That she's breathing?" he asked._

"Wha-"

 _"Abby! Are you_ _ **sure**_ _she's breathing?"_

"Yeah, Tim, she's fine. She's making those gurgling baby sounds she does when she normally sleeps, and I can see her chest moving."

" _Okay, okay, good," he said, and Abby could hear him trying to get his breathing under control, "keep an eye on her too," he ordered._

 _"So what did you do to try to calm him?" he asked, trying to distract her from his panic, as well as keep both of them focused as he made the trip into the city. For once his driving was more along the lines of Ziva's and Gibbs' driving style than his own._

* * *

5-24-18

Sounds like Tim is having a tough night...

Another chapter, hope you like it. Really interested in what you all are thinking/feeling.

Thank you to everyone who has left reviews, as well as followed/favorited

If anyone is interested in bouncing ideas or such please feel free to contact me


	10. Naptime

Disclaimer applies; not beta'd

* * *

"Damn, probie, you look like hell," Tony announced as he cheerfully entered the bullpen. "Late night last night?" he teased. Shocked when Tim just nodded his head in agreement.

"It must've been a really late and wild night if you willingly answered on the first round of questioning. Wow, where is Ziva when you need her? She's never gonna believe you gave in and answered, let alone so quickly." Tony smirked, looking at Tim. Tim however, just remained at his desk, though his head seemed to be losing the fight with gravity.

"What is this? My little Protégé all grown up and wooing the ladies till the wee hours of the morning. I'm so proud. Of course, the next thing we have to work on is how to function the next day. Don't worry, you'll build up stamina over time."

"I don't want a repeat," Tim muttered.

"Oh, Probie, surely it wasn't _that_ bad. I mean, sure, you may feel that way now, and you'll probably feel worse once the boss sees you, but," he said gleefully before wiggling his eyebrows, "So what was it? Busty Brunette Babe? Buxom Blonde Bombshell? Red Hot Redhead?" Tony asked, continuing until a familiar sound echoed through the bullpen. "Ouch! Thank you boss."

"My money's on a babe," Gibbs said with a knowing grin as he looked at his two agents, paying particular attention to the younger man.

Tony just sat down at his desk and had already started an email to Tim, letting him know that their conversation wasn't over and that before he took Gibbs up on his bet he needed more information, when his boss's voice rang out again.

"DiNozzo, cold cases. McGee, with me," he called, leading the young agent to the elevator while Tony shook his head and waved a finger at McGee in admonition. Even if Boss won the bet, it didn't mean he would let such behavior slide.

While Tim was a little worried about what Gibbs needed to see him about, he didn't let it show, but instead rolled his eyes at the senior field agent. Surprisingly, once they were in the elevator, the older man didn't hit the stop switch, but instead press the floor button for Abby's lab.

"Boss?"

"McGee?"

Tim opened then closed his mouth, without saying a word. If his boss wasn't gonna yell at him, he wasn't going to invite it by speaking out of turn.

"Heard you had a rough night."

"Yeah," came the tired admission. "Abby tell ya?"

"Yep. She also said that she felt bad spoiling your evening."

"My evening?" a confused Tim repeated. "I would rather she wake me and I lose a couple of hours sleep than have something happen to one of the kids."

Gibbs hid his grin, "She said that you weren't alone when she called."

The younger agent frowned, "Why would she think that?"

"She said you were talking to or about another girl."

Tim paled and held his hands out to steady himself, "Oh. Oh, no."

"Whoa, McGee. It's okay. You have the right to see someone."

"Bo-Boss, I wasn't. I mean, it's not that," Tim stammered. "It's, well, when she called and mentioned he wouldn't stop crying and had been doing so for a while, I, well, I guess I kinda flashed back to Lizzie and Sarah and that night."

At his agent's explanation, Gibbs blanched, and stopped the elevator.

"For a moment, I forgot who she was, and who she was talking about. I asked her how Sarah was," Tim admitted, lost in his thoughts. "After returning to the present, I then ordered her to check on Kay, to make sure that she was actually sleeping, _still breathing_ and not dead. Boss, I specifically asked if she was breathing."

"Oh, hell, McGee. I didn't think of that when I assigned you as contact last night. I'll take you off the list."

"No, it's okay, boss. I'm fine."

Gibbs stared at his young agent, "You sure?"

"Yes," he said, continuing at his boss's inquisitive look. "Really."

"Make sure you let me know if that changes. I'll understand if it does."

"I know you will," McGee reaffirmed, getting the elevator moving once more.

"So, why we going to Abby's lab?"

"I'm going to get an update on the case, you are going to there to sleep."

"Boss?"

"You worked all night, we have no hot cases, you can catch an hour or two."

"Uh, what about the twins?"

"They'll sleep in their cribs."

Tim barely resisted rolling his eyes, "I meant what about that case."

"You can start a search to run while you sleep, even not, a few hours shouldn't matter too much, plus we'll need you on your game later today."

"Why? What's going on later today?" he asked, not receiving an answer as the two entered the lab, the older pointing the younger to the futon Abby had set up on her office floor.

"Sleep," he ordered Tim before turning to the scientist, "Abby, what do you got for me?"

"Apparently teething babies…and one with an ear infection," she replied, stifling a yawn. "Do all babies wait till the middle of the night before they let their symptoms be known?"

"Yep. What else you got?"

"So far, nothing on the father. We just started running the rest of the G's in reverse order."

Gibbs shook his head at the name, wondering where it came from. Still, he supposed it was better than referring to them as suspects. "How much longer?" he asked.

"A while. It's taking Major Mass Spect about 10 hours for each test, including preparing next batch, printing results, and sanitizing all of the equipment."

"You can't rush it?"

"Gibbs, how many times do I have to tell you that you can't rush science?" Abby scolded, hand on her hip, "Besides, that is rushing it," she added with a grin, "The average paternity test takes about 12-72 hours."

"72?"

"Yep. Now don't you feel lucky that these are only taking 10?" she smirked. "Ideally, we would be testing the mother's as well, to compare all three, well, four. I was able to well, we'll just call it 'pre-screening' to shorten that time frame a bit. And no," she continued when Gibbs opened his mouth, "I can't lessen it any more, not if I want to preserve the integrity of the test."

"Fine. You'll call me if you get something?"

"Always do, unless you show up here first," she grinned, as he started to walk away.

"Oh, and Abby, best get some sleep yourself when you have a bit of time between tests."

"Gladly," she answered, stifling another yawn.

* * *

"Hey, Abs, McGee down here?" Tony asked as he entered the lab a couple of hours later.

"In there," Abby replied, indicating her office a nod of her head.

"Great, thanks," Tony replied as he entered her office, only to return to the lab a moment later.

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Abby questioned.

"First sign of avoidance is answering a question with a question," he remarked.

"No, answering a question with another question means someone, in this case, _me_ , needs clarification regarding the first question," Abby retorted. "I don't know what you meant by your question, I'm working, Tim's napping."

"Yeah, I know, I figured that out when I saw him snoring on the futon."

"Timmy doesn't snore."

"And you would know, wouldn't you?" Tony smirked.

Abby's eyes narrowed, "So would you if you actually listened. He's sleeping now, yet all is quiet, therefore one can easily infer that McGee does not snore when he sleeps."

"My point is why is McDoesn'tSnore sleeping?"

"Because he's tired?"

"Don't give me that, Abby. It takes more than being tired to get McPerfectionist to sleep on the job. So I'll ask you again, _what's going on_?"

Abby shrugged and turned away, "Don't know what to tell you."

"How about the truth?" Tony snapped back. "I could tell he had a rough night. Hell, I only saw him for a few moments yesterday but I could already tell he was barely hanging on, and then this morning," Tony paused shaking his head.

Again Abby shrugged.

"Fine," Tony conceded, knowing he wasn't going to get anything useful from her. "I don't know what the hell is going on around here, but everyone is acting mighty peculiar," he muttered before reentering her office.

As he looked closer at Tim on the futon, he realized that there was an indent on the futon in front of McGee. And long dark hairs next to his head on the pillow. Eyes narrowed as he looked from McGee to Abby and back again. At least he had one piece to the puzzle, he thought right before he woke his sleeping partner up.

* * *

5-27-18

Hope you enjoyed it.


	11. Faith, Trust, and Supergluealso MOAS?

Disclaimer still applies; Not Beta'd

This story is not Tim/Abby; McAbby, however, the two do have a history together. Because of their past, they are closer/know more about one another than normal coworkers, that shows in this story & in this chapter.

* * *

"Tim, there's no need to do that," Tony stated, as he watched Tim lightly run his gloved hand over his keyboard, phone, desk drawers, any surface that superglue could be applied to.

"Yeah, because you never put superglue on anything of mine when you're bored."

"You heard Gibbs order me to dismantle anything I might've done to your desk."

"Yeah, yesterday."

"Exactly. Do you really think I would go against his orders?"

"It wouldn't be against his orders," Tim retorted. "It's a new day, no doubt you would think it, _I,_ would be fair game today."

"Tim, I didn't do anything."

"And I should just take you're word on that?" Tim retorted.

"Well, yeah, would I lie to you?" Tony asked, continuing when Tim just snorted. "I mean about anything important."

"So superglueing me to my desk and booby trapping it is important?"

"What? No…I mean yes in the sense I wouldn't lie about it."

"Uh-huh. But if it's all the same with you, I'll continue my testing."

"Fine," Tony agreed, watching Tim for another 5 minutes. "Where'd you get the glove anyway?"

"Abby."

Tony snickered, "You guys playing doctor?"

"DiNozzo, knock it off unless you want to be a critical patient," Gibbs commented as he returned to the bullpen, watching the younger agent check his desk.

"Yes, boss," Tony agreed, turning back to his desk.

* * *

An hour later at the ringing of Gibbs' phone, Tony stopped what he was working on and stared at him. After hanging up the phone, without saying anything other than his name as a greeting, the older man looked at his agents.

"Tim, Tony, it's gonna be a late night tonight," Gibbs informed them.

"What? Why?" Tony whined. It was the only good thing about cold cases, the fact that they got out of the office at a reasonable time.

"There's a meeting at 1930 in the evidence garage tonight. Make sure you are both there. Tim, if Tony's doesn't need any more help,"

"I'm good, boss, I can handle this," Tony quickly chimed in to reassure him.

"Get back downstairs and see Abby," Gibbs continued ignoring the interruption.

Tony snickered, as he wondered how much of Abby Probie was going to see and if the futon will be in their future once again.

"Problem, DiNozzo?"

"No, boss, just wondering why the evidence garage."

"Need a large room for a large meeting," he replied. "Tim, go; Tony, cold cases."

"Yeah," Tony faked enthusiasm. You know it's gonna be a long day if a large building wide meeting is his highpoint.

* * *

Tony paused as he stood by the lab doors. He _really_ wanted to know what was going on, enough that he snuck out of the bullpen, took the stairs down, so he wouldn't alert someone when the elevator doors pinged open, and hid out of sight of the lab door. Why Gibbs was so worried. Why Tim had been spending the last few days in Abby's lab. Why Abby was running test on things but not for a case. And more importantly, why everyone was being so secretive about it and not telling him or letting him help.

He told Tim he was going to investigate, and while he hadn't learned anything or discovered any clues upstairs, he figured he would try his luck down here. So what if in this case investigating meant eavesdropping?

"Hey, you're awake."

"Yeah, thanks for the use of the futon, again," Tim replied.

"No problem, I actually joined you for a bit again." Tony smirked, so he was right. If Gibbs only knew what those two were up to, he probably wouldn't send McLover to help Abby anymore.

"I know. I recognized your cold feet," Tony heard Tim tease his friend. Tony grinned, he hadn't heard his friend joke around with the lab rat in a long time. Then he grinned even more as he imagined Abby's response to Tim's teasing.

"You feeling better now?" Definitely not what he would've expected her to say. I mean, sure, Tim didn't look well today, but neither did he look sick. Maybe he missed something?

"Much. I really needed that after last night." Outside the door, Tony grinned in anticipation. Were the secrets of last night about to be revealed?

"I know. Last night was exhausting. I can imagine how you must feel. I'm tired, but I know I slept, I don't think you did, after you came."

Tony's mouth dropped to the ground at the revelation that the two were together last night. Whoa, this was more serious than he thought. Probie and Abby together again? He suspected something was up this summer when Gibbs was in Mexico, but he thought it was just two friends being supportive of one another. He was so caught up in his thoughts, he missed part of their conversation, refocusing his attention, he once more listened to the conversation going on in the lab.

"…baby."

At this his eyes went wide. No wonder Abby was running tests and Gibbs was acting so strange and worried. Abby was having a baby. Abby and _McGee_ were having a baby. Tony grinned at the thought. He was going to be an uncle. The eavesdropper had to stop himself of clapping his hands and shouting in glee. That kid was definitely going to need his help when it came to sports. Tony was ready to curse himself for once again missing part of their conversations, when he heard Abby speak again.

"Are you sure everything's okay? I mean, I know something else is going on with you. It's not just last night, but yesterday morning, I mean, even Tony mentioned that you seemed drained." she said nervously, though he was a little upset she brought him into it.

"I'm fine."

"It's just…you had me worried last night," Tony knew this was true, he could hear it in her voice. "I mean, when I called to tell you, first you say-"

"Abs," Tim interrupted, "I know. I'm sorry."

"And then you were so panicked about-"

"I know," he interrupted again. Tony heard footsteps in the lab, no doubt it was McGee going to comfort his girl.

"And when you got there, you were so worried, I mean, you wouldn't even _sleep_. I had made room, got a pillow for you and everything, but y-"

"Abby, I know. And I'm sorry if I scared you or hurt you with my reaction," Tim said softly, almost too soft for Tony to hear, "It's just...well, it was…um, let's just say it's something from my past, and leave it at that for now, okay?"

"Okay," Abby reluctantly agreed, though Tony is surprised she let it go so easily, that really wasn't like her. Then again, it wasn't like Tim to interrupt anyone, especially Abby and he did that three times in as many minutes.

"You know you can talk to me about _anything_ , right?"

"I know," he replied, before Tony heard the distinctive sound of kissing occurring in the lab, taking that as his cue, he pressed the button for the elevator and waited. When the doors finally opened with a ding, he turned and walked towards the lab, calling out to his friend.

"Abby, you have to help me."

"Tony? Why what's wrong?" Abby asked as she stepped out of Tim's arms.

"I'm in cold case hell," he replied, turning to Tim when he snickered in response. "Hey, you can laugh, but you're not the one up there _alone_ with no one to talk to. No distractions, just file after file after file. You don't know what it's like."

Tim arched and eyebrow, "I don't know what it's like," he repeated. "Do I have to remind you that usually, I'm left behind to run searches, track cell phones, check finances and such while the rest of you leave to follow up on the clues _I_ find?"

"Well, yeah, but you like doing that stuff."

"I also like being in the field. Hence why I became a _field_ agent," he stressed.

"And you go out in the field, but sometimes you're needed elsewhere. Play to your strengths," Tony pointed out. "But you haven't been on cold cases with me this week since Monday."

"I'm playing to my strengths," Tim retorted, causing Abby to chuckle.

Tony looked between the two, muttering "Playing something."

"Huh?" The two asked in unison. Tony shook his head. Seriously, how did he miss he fact that these two were together again. Yesterday, deciding Chinese food with just a look. Honestly, they were so in sync with each other it couldn't be more obvious. He rolled his eyes at himself, and he thought he was one of the top investigators at NCIS.

"Nothing, just frustrated at all the cold cases," he explained away his mumbling. "And I better get back before Gibbs notices me gone."

Tim and Abby nodded, the former saying "Let me see what I need to finish here and then I'll be up."

* * *

So, Tony thinks Abby is pregnant, wonder what he'll do with that information...

MOAS=Mother of All Secrets...what Tony thinks he stumbled onto

5-31-18


	12. Fishing for Dinner (DC12)

Disclaimer applies; not beta'd

* * *

"I never wanna see an orange wall again," Tony exclaimed as he and Tim exited the NCIS building to head to dinner.

Tim snorted, "You know we'll be back there in about an hour, right? Not to mention tomorrow, and Fr-"

"Geesh, enough already, McDowner. Let me enjoy it while I can, I've been stuck in that room for the last three days, unlike some people," he reminded his fellow agent. "Now I'm free. Come on, I'm hungry."

After entering the restaurant, the two placed their order and grabbed a booth close by.

"Any plans this weekend?"

Tim shook his head, "Nothing set yet, why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just wondering if you had plans with a special someone."

Tim frowned, "Who?"

"No one in particular," he replied with a shrug, "Perhaps the Buxom Brunette Babe Boss betted on."

Tim smiled.

"So there is someone!" Tony declared gleefully.

"No, no, no someone," Tim denied.

"Then what's that smile for?" The jokester challenged.

"The B book," Tim replied, wondering if he should dare Tony to say that tongue twister 5 times fast.

" _You_ have a little black book?" Tony asked incredulously, before Tim could issue his challenge.

"What? No!" Tim denied.

"You just mentioned it."

Tim groaned, knowing that if he mentioned that the book he was referring to was a kid's book he would be provide _years_ of entertainment for Tony.

"I…it's nothing," Tim stated firmly, hoping Tony would back off for a change.

Tony stared at Tim intently, debating whether or not to pursue the topic. If he did, it was quite possible Tim would get upset and shut down, refusing to answer any question or even talk to him at all. Since this dinner break was the most contact he had with someone all week, he really didn't want to get Probie upset enough that he used the silent treatment as punishment. Of course, since he didn't answer the previous question, perhaps he'll answer this next one. "So, what have you been working on all week?"

"Tony, you know I've been down in the lab assisting Abby."

"Yeah, but assisting her with what?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows, " _That_ is the million dollar question."

"We're just working," Tim hastened to explain, thanking the staff who brought their order to them.

"Right, Abby, working," Tony leered. "You've haven't spent this much time with Abby since you worked in Norfolk. Even before you moved up here, you didn't 'work' together this much, in her lab or elsewhere."

Tim shrugged, not knowing what Tony wanted him to say.

"Fine, I'll accept that answer, for now," Tony said disbelievingly, as he agreed to drop the subject. "So, have you ever thought of getting married and starting a family?"

Tim coughed as he started choking on his food. "Wh-What?"

"You heard me," Tony smirked, glad he caught the younger man unaware. "Is the pitter-patter of little feet in your future?"

"I...Wh-why would you ask that?" Tim suspiciously asked.

"Why won't you answer?"

The two men remained in a silent standstill, neither one giving in as they absently ate their meal, all the while watching each other.

Finally Tim gave in, "I've always wanted a family, I don't think I've ever hidden that."

"How does our favorite Goth Girl feel about that?"

Tim shrugged, partly in bewilderment about how Abby fit into his plans for a family, but who knew how Tony's mind worked, either way, no reason not to answer. "She knew that I wanted a family years ago, now, well, it's no surprise that I still do."

"Does she want a family?"

"Tony, what do you think? She created a family in all of us, her coworkers."

"You know what I mean, Probie. It's one thing to be a daughter or a sister, quite another to be the mother."

"Things change. Sometimes things happen, sometimes it is out of your hands, out of your control," Tim concluded.

So, Tony thought, as tried to decipher what Tim was saying, waiting to see if he was going to add anything else, the baby definitely wasn't planned. That explains why everyone was acting so weird.

"I see." he finally commented. "Anything you want to share?"

"Only that it's probably time we started to head back," Tim said, getting up from the table, preparing to leave.

"That's it? Nothing?"

Tim spun around, coming chest to chest with Tony and looking him in the eye. "What do you want me to say Tony? All day it's like you've been fishing for answers. If you want to know something or think you know something just ask, otherwise, shut up."

Again the two stared. When Tony remained silent, Tim continued walking back to work.

Tony fell in step next to him. "I wanted you to tell me. I tried giving you every chance, leading the conversation, giving you plenty of opportunity. I thought we were friends. My one question to you is: Why didn't you tell me McLover?"

Tim puzzled at the nickname as his previous words registered, "Tell you what?"

"Maybe I should've added that I won't tell anyone else, especially Gibbs. But I am telling _you_ , that I figured it out. A little annoyed with myself that I didn't do so earlier, but now that I have, you should just confess it all…and I do mean _all._ "

"Huh?"

"Oh, no, that innocent boy scout routine won't wash with me. I've heard enough about Abby to see past that. I know you're not that clueless."

"Seriously, Tony, I don't have any idea what you're talking about. I never know where your mind is at and usually I'm very glad about that. So again, if you have something you want to know, _ask_!" Tim concluded, thoroughly frustrated at this conversation.

"Fine, if you don't want to admit, I'll just say it out loud, and I'll reveal the truth to Gibbs," Tony threatened, before he continued, "You're dating Abby again, and I would say visiting her coffin as well," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "And, I'm thinking it's really serious between the two of you," he concluded, after all, if they had a baby on the way, it better be.

"What?" Tim replied in shock, before adding, "No! Why would you think that?"

"Probie, Probie, Probie, I just told you," There was no way he was admitting that he eavesdropped on the two. If they knew he did that, Tim would probably program his phone to show Tony's location at all times. "You haven't spent this much time with Abby since the two of you were dating. I suspected the two of you got together over the summer when Gibbs took off. I mean, yeah, I thought it was just you two leaning on each other, I know how much Abby hates change, especially when it's regarding the team. But here it is, months later, and the two of you are having private conversations, more so than usual; working on secret lab projects; spending the nights together; taking naps together in her office during work time. Now, unless you have a better reason for yesterday's and today's unexcused absences from the bullpen…"

Tim opened his mouth to refute Tony's accusation, only to realize that he couldn't, that realization must have shown on his face, because Tony honed in on it right away.

"Ha! You can't. I was right. Gibbs is not going to be happy with you breaking Rule 12. Abby, well, Abby can probably get away with it. I mean, she can pretty much get away with anything when Gibbs is involved, but you? Oh, man, I really wouldn't want to be you when I tell him," Tony paused as he thought for a moment about his words. "Actually, I never want to be you, but you know what I mean."

Tim rolled his eyes, "Go ahead tell Gibbs."

The older man eye him appraisingly, "Why would you welcome death like that, McSuicide? Unless…unless he already knows you're seeing Abby."

"Yes, because you know how Gibbs is, he just has to have the latest information on who is seeing who. The man just cannot keep his nose out of our personal and romantic lives," Tim shared sarcastically.

Tony frowned as he processed what his partner was saying. It wasn't often Tim was sarcastic, but it was coming out full force now. He did think that Gibbs knew, and perhaps even knew about the baby, but if that was the case, why was Tim still denying it. What was he thinking, of course Gibbs knew. His 'money' was on the brunette babe. Tony was very glad he didn't take that bet now.

Or could it be that he was wrong? Maybe the two weren't together again?

"Okay, let's say that you're _not_ dating Abby," Tony said, his voice filled with disappointment. If they weren't dating, does that mean Abby wasn't pregnant? He wasn't going to be uncle? Or did that just mean McGee wasn't the McDaddy? Hmm, that could explain why Gibbs was worried, and if Abby was pregnant, why Tim was with her all night, making sure she rested, while he didn't.

"Yes, Tony, I believe I've already told you that," Tim reminded him, curious as to why Tony seemed so sad at that fact. In fact, he sounded sadder than Tim did when the couple first broke up.

"But then, why are you in the lab with Abby so much and why did you want me to tell Gibbs what I thought," Tony stated, reasoning out the clues in his mind. "Gibbs must know what you are doing in the lab. Hmm, let's think about this. Abby mentioned it wasn't an official case, but what if it was. Her saying that didn't keep me from digging into the files," he shared. "And it's been a quiet week as far as 'official' cases go, so you can't be helping with that stuff," he said, waving a hand as if to dismiss the work Tim and Abby do in the lab regarding cases, "So, it must be some special project that _is_ unofficial. Perhaps one that the director is involved in," he pondered out loud. "But why would the G's, other than Gibbs, of course, be involved?"

"Tony, give it up. It doesn't matter."

"Just by saying that, and not sharing, you make it matter," Tony argued. "And I will figure it out!"

"Sure, you will, DiNozzo."

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm one of NCIS's finest."

"Uh-huh. And you have believed Abby and I were in a serious relationship with one another for how long now?"

"Well, you are," he retorted. "You're best friends, right? That's pretty serious."

"Yeah, good job there, Tony," Tim said as he entered the NCIS building, broke away from Tony and took the stairs to Abby's lab.

* * *

"Did you bring me back anything?" Abby asked in lieu of a greeting when he entered the lab.

Tim froze when he heard Abby's question. Looking at her, he hesitantly asked, "Er, no, was I suppose to?"

"McGee! Who would ever say no to food?"

"Right, sorry. Besides, you can go grab something when we're at the meeting."

"True," she agreed. "Oooh, maybe I'll go see the twins, too. You know, get a snuggle in before everyone knows."

Tim smiled at her happiness. "Hey, so I just had the weirdest conversation with Tony. Well, I guess part of it makes sense now, but I didn't have a clue what he was getting at in the beginning."

"Oh, tell me, tell me."

Tim started to explain his dinner conversation, starting with Tony asking about Tim wanting a family, Abby's thoughts on that, and ending with Tony's idea that the two were seeing each other again and that it was pretty serious.

Once he concluded, Abby smiled. "Hmm, makes me wonder how he knows some of that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the night thing. I mean, last night was the only night we've been together and that was because of Taz. How did he know?"

Tim opened and then closed his mouth before opening it once more to speak, "I don't know."

"And the private conversations. I mean, by definition they would be private so he wouldn't know about them, yet he does. And it's not like I went upstairs and pulled you into the elevator to talk."

Tim frowned.

"And the naps."

"Abby, he came down earlier and woke me up when I was sleeping on the futon."

"Yes, McGee, when _you_ were sleeping. I wasn't, and you said he mentioned _us_ taking naps, plural, as in more than one," she pointed out, "together."

Tim gave a half grin, "Maybe we are seeing each other and we just don't know it yet?"

"I think we would be the first to know," Abby snorted. "And yeah," she continued, picking up on his thoughts, "maybe it would've been best to have him continue thinking that, but then we would've had to stage a big break up scene, and you know I don't do drama," she concluded with a grin.

This last comment had Tim laughing, "God Abby, I love you," he finally said when he got himself under control.

"I know, and I love you," she returned, just as Tony entered the lab, eyeing them both suspiciously.

After hearing their latest exchange, well, declaration, he wasn't so sure he was wrong after all. Had Tim been trying to throw him off track? Perhaps McBluff had told him to tell Gibbs in the hope that he wouldn't?

"Hey, Tim, Gibbs wants you upstairs to go over a few things before the meeting. Apparently once it is done, we will all be dismissed for the day."

"Right, well, I best head up there then. See you later, Abs," he said, as he left the lab.

Tony scrutinized Abby for a moment, before saying, "Are you and McGee seeing each other again?"

"To-"

"The only reason why I ask," he interrupted, "is because the last few days he's been happy. I mean, sure, Monday, when I mentioned that you might be sick or upset about something he was worried, though he tried to hide it, but since then, he's been happier than he's been in a long time. I suspected it had something to do with being down her so much and not just cuz he's working with you. I know how much he cared-cares about you."

"Tony-"

"No." Tony shook his head, "Just do me a favor, don't hurt him. Don't break his heart again," he said before he turned and left.

* * *

I kinda like big brother Tony, protective of McGee, though I hate it that he won't show that side of himself to Tim.

Big meeting in the evidence garage tonight...

6-3-18


	13. Whoa, Birth Announcement (DC13)

Standard disclaimer applies; Not Beta'd

* * *

"This has been a really strange week," Tony muttered as he and McGee left the bullpen towards the evidence garage for the meeting. The two men opted to take the back stair case, hoping to avoid the influx of people heading to the meeting by way of the elevators and main staircases.

"Week? Tony, it's only Wednesday," Tim snickered.

"Yeah, and so far, Gibbs has received summons to the Director's office, multiple times every day, each time returning in a worse mood than when he left; He's been disappearing at odd times, and for longer than it takes to get _and_ drink a cup of coffee; Sometimes he was in Abby's Lab, but other times, I don't even think he was in the building.

"We've had the meeting of G's, which I still have not been able to find out about," he continued, missing his Probie's hidden smirk. "And yesterday, according to security, you came in super early, yet I didn't see you up in the bullpen until noon, looking like a wet dishrag. You then disappeared again, only to occasionally pop up later in the bullpen. Today, once more, you were in early; in fact, one has to wonder if you even went home. And for the second day in a row seemed to spend very little time at your desk. Then we have you and Abb-"

"Tony, will you just drop it?"

"No can do, Probilicious. Now tell me."

"Fine," Tim sighed, "I already told you, I was working with Abby down in her lab."

"Seems more like you were sleeping if you ask me," Tony commented. "Since when do you sleep on the job…literally and not alone?"

"Look, Tony, you want the truth? Here it is: you're right. It's been a very long, difficult, and emotional few days. You can laugh and tease me all you want about how that makes me a girl," Tim snapped, "But a couple of things happened that brought up some things from my past. Some nights, I couldn't get to sleep because of things that happened, so since we didn't have any hot cases and while I was running searches on the computer, I caught some sleep when I could."

"Can you be a bit more vague?"

"Possibly, do you want me to try?"

"No, I'm good," Tony snorted. "It was just so strange. Both you and Gibbs disappearing and acting unlike yourselves, and then the two of you along with Abby acting so secretive, I was beginning to think something was in the water."

"It would have to be more wide-spread than that," Tim replied, "something in Gibbs' coffee and Abby's Caf-Pows."

Tony laughed, "See, this I missed the last few days, stuck in the bullpen by myself, buried under stacks and stacks of cold cases."

Tim lifted an eyebrow showing his doubt of the truth of that statement.

"What? I was working," Tony argued.

"Uh-huh," Tim commented doubtfully, "any leads on any cold cases then?"

"Nope, but I did do some investigating." Tony smirked, causing Tim to groan. "Even though you failed your assignment, I found a reason to speak to some of the G's. Didn't get much out of them, well, actually got nothing out of them. But I did notice that many of them seemed as worried as Gibbs. So it definitely has to be something major going on. I mean, Gibbs doesn't get worried for nothing. I finally decided that it didn't involve Ziva, or Abby, or you-"

"ME?!" Tim yelped in surprise.

"Well, yeah, I mean, why else would you be pulled into it? Plus I figured if Abby was involved, then so were you, since you two are-"

"We're not dating," Tim snapped.

"Serious about each other…as best friends, of course," Tony concluded with a smirk. "Gibbs kept on sending you downstairs to work with Abby, and you just mentioned searches you were running, which leads me to one thing."

Tim kept silent as he began to rush down the stairs. He really wished that they hadn't taken this solitary route. Other people around would be a blessing, even if it did mean that he would've felt like he was being herded like cattle. No doubt Tony realized Tim knew what was going on and was going to corner him for answers. One set of stairs left, Tim realized, hoping he could make it out of the stairwell before Tony stopped him.

"Probie! Stop!" Tony commanded, as he raced to catch up with his partner. Racing past the last few stairs, Tony maneuvered around him and prevented Tim from opening the door to his escape.

"C'mon, Tony, we don't want to be late."

"There's plenty of time; now tell me what you know," he ordered, staring at Tim. Silence reigned between the two as Tim refused to speak, let alone meet the SFA's eyes.

Tony snickered, "Well, if not secretly dating Abby didn't prove that you don't have a death wish, refusing to speak about this does. I'm guessing you were ordered not to speak, not just by Gibbs, but by the Director as well. Fine then, I'll guess."

Tim had a look of incredulous disbelief on his face, how could anyone possibly guess what has been going on around NCIS for the last few days.

"Don't worry, you won't have to say anything. Silence is as good as confirmation," he mock whispered. "You, most likely, are working on some kind of computer issue, probably a combination of decryptions and hacking. You're working in Abby's lab for a couple of reasons. One, Abby is familiar with computers so she could give you a hand, plus provide a sounding board if needed; Two, the privacy. Anyone can walk by the bullpen to see what you are working on, even more so if you were working in cybercrimes downstairs. Now as for the G's, well, obviously, I'm not quite sure how all of them figure in, especially since I don't recognize some," he muttered the last to himself, causing Tim to grin, "Gibbs, of course is your direct supervisor, so he would need to be notified if you were pulled for a special project, especially if we got a case. The lawyers and accountants are there for professional reasons, most likely whatever it is you're working on involves money of some kind, after all, 'follow the money'; and as much as Gibbs hates to involve lawyers,"

"Rule 13," Tim stated matter of factly, earning a nod from the older agent.

"You'll need warrants and such to keep evidence valid in court. Now, Kevin, I'm guessing that this was his case, probably a cold case he was working on and sussed out a new lead on, after all, it's been a slow case week. Now as to why everyone is so worried, I'm guessing it might involve a mole of some kind. Perhaps someone giving the perps a heads up? Which would make sense to keep it under wraps, you sequestered in Abby's office for privacy, and no official case file. I doubt that it's something as serious as terrorism, murder or kidnapping." Once he finished, Tony patted Tim on the shoulder and turned to open the door. "Don't worry, McSecret, I won't tell anyone what you're working on."

Tim stood in shock as Tony finished speaking and entered the evidence garage, heading towards the chairs set up in the middle. Part of him was thankful Tony didn't give him a chance to speak, as well as grateful that he never looked at his face to decipher how accurate his scenario was. Realizing that he was going to be late if he didn't hurry up, he quickly caught up and sat down next to his coworker.

"Nice of you to join us," Tony smirked. "Now, that I've figured out your secret, you can help me figure out what is going on with Gibbs and this meeting."

"I-"

"And don't try to tell me that Gibbs is just worried about the mole. He would be pissed about that, but not worried. I know him. No, something is going on there. No one cares about money laundering or whatever else you are looking into on those computers that much, even with a mole on the loose."

At his words, Tim's jaw snapped shut and his eyes narrowed. For no one really caring they seemed to rely on him a lot to find leads and evidence on those computers.

"Now, seriously, what could this meeting possibly be about? Couldn't they have just sent out a memo?"

Tim snickered as he thought about what that potential memo would say.

Tony whipped his head around at the sound, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the man next to him. "You know something. Little Timmy hasn't just been playing with computers. Little Timmy learned something when he was sequestered away. Spill."

Tim refused to meet his gaze, never more grateful than when the director stood up and garnered everyone's attention.

"Thank you for staying late or coming in early for this meeting," she began. "I need to inform all of you about a situation that recently occurred in our building.

"Oh, man," Tony muttered, "don't tell me we had a bomb threat or an actual bomb here. No wonder she didn't send a memo about that, people would panic."

"While this situation wasn't or isn't life threatening, there are some legal concerns that will develop from it."

"Ugh, even worse," Tony complained, crouching down in his seat, "not another sexual harassment seminar." He elbowed Tim in the side and hissed, "McGee, I thought you were suppose to be smart, if you knew what was happening here, why didn't you come up with an excuse to get us out of this?"

"Tony, shut up," Tim angrily whispered.

"Late Sunday night two infants, less than a year old, were left on our proverbial doorstep with a note. The note was unsigned and other than stating that the father worked in this building did not provide us with any useful or pertinent information regarding the identity of the children, the mother, or the father."

Tim snuck a glance at Tony to catch how he was taking all of this in. He almost laughed at the look of disbelief on his face.

Tony seemed to shake off his shock and caught McGee watching him, putting his familiar mask on, he uttered, "This has got to be a joke."

"As of this moment, nobody involved has been identified. We are currently following up on every lead at our disposal. Please note, that it may come down to comparing the DNA of every male staff member to the children."

"It's like a plot from a movie…no doubt a chick flick/RomCom."

"We ask for your full cooperation during this unofficial investigation. A brief survey will be distributed to your email tomorrow morning. I ask that you answer the questions as honestly as possible. Based on those responses, some of you will be asked to schedule an interview with those assisting in the case. We will do our best to accommodate schedules, but please note, this is a top priority. If you have any pertinent information to share, you can contact me or Agent Gibbs, who is leading this investigation, to privately discuss your concerns or questions."

"No wonder why boss has been so upset lately, how could anyone abandon _kids_!" he hissed.

"The children will be staying at the Navy Yard day care facility. During the day the staff will oversee their care and at night volunteer care givers will be on site to help. If you would like to volunteer, please contact my assistant. To provide the children with a regular routine, visitors will be limited to those that are necessary to their care or the case.

If you have a valid reason to seek out the children, please let me know and if it is warranted you will be added to the approved visitor list."

Tony snorted, "I don't think so."

"I will do my best to keep you updated as new information becomes available," Jenny stated, "But please be aware, that my first responsibility is towards the children, their father, and other family members. Some information cannot and will not be shared since it might not be confirmed facts."

"I ask that you keep any information regarding this situation in this building. As I mentioned, there are legal ramifications from this incident and I truly hope no one wants to make it worse for the children than it already is.

"Once more, I encourage you to contact myself or Agent Gibbs if you think you might have any information to assist our investigation. We are not here to judge or incriminate you, we just want to unite the children with their family.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Jenny concluded with a nod as she stepped away from the microphone. Many blank faces continued to stare at the empty mic and the spot she had been in seconds before. Tony's eyes, however, tracked the Director. Despite his jokes and remarks during the announcement, part of him hadn't been sure that it wasn't a hoax. When she didn't return to deliver a punchline or inform them of the real reason for the meeting, but instead left to return upstairs, he realized that this wasn't a joke. It wasn't a way for the Director to get their attention or to ease the tension before informing them of a serious issue. This was real.

"Whoa." Tony muttered in disbelief. How could this really be happening? Who would do such a thing and why?

"I know. Unbelievable, right?"

"Whoa." Babies. Abandoned at NCIS. Someone in the building is a father. Okay, so a lot of men in the building are fathers, but someone in this room, might not _know_ that _he's_ a father.

Tim shook his head at his friend's repeated words. "C'mon, Tony, lets get you back upstairs."

"Whoa."

Tim shook his head as he tuned out his partner as he slowly guided him through the building and seating him back at his desk.

"He's okay, boss," Tim responded to Gibbs' inquiring look, "just in shock."

"Him and half the single male staff that was at that meeting. Maybe some of the married ones as well."

"Whoa."

Tim gave a brief smile, "I'm going to go see Abby before I head out. We need to finish that survey, so we can get it out tomorrow."

"Plus she'll want the details of the meeting," Gibbs commented dryly.

Tim just grinned before heading down to the Lab, hearing Tony's repeated 'Whoa' until he was out of earshot.

* * *

Okay, so all of NCIS is now in the know. We'll have to see how Tony handles it.

6-7-18


	14. Softer Side (DC14)

Standard disclaimer applies; Not beta'd

* * *

"Hey, Abs, you staying with the kids again tonight?" Tim asked as he entered he lab.

"Nope. Was going to do that, but Gibbs found someone else. I have the feeling I'll need to be on top of my game tomorrow."

McGee nodded, "Yeah, he took me off the emergency contact list to-"

"For good?"

"He offered," Tim admitted, "But no. I told him I was still fine with it.'

"Yet he took you off anyway."

"Just for tonight," Tim explained, "And only because of what happened last night."

The lab tech just looked at him.

"Because of the lack of sleep," he clarified.

Abby continued to stare at him, knowing there was more he wasn't sharing.

"Abs, I'm fine."

"Tim, you freaked out," At the use of his preferred name and not a nickname or surname, his head snapped up.

"I know and I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Gibbs knows."

Tim nodded, "Yeah, I talked to him after you did this morning."

"No, not that. I meant he knows _why_ you fre-reacted that way."

"He does," the agent quietly admitted

The two remained silent. "Good," Abby finally said, nodding her head. "I'm glad that he's there for you and that you're talking to him. Just know that you can talk to me as well, okay?"

Tim gave her a nod and a half smile.

"So, depending how everything goes tomorrow, I think I'm on babysitting detail tomorrow night. Want to join me?"

"Hmm," Tim pondered the possibilities, "Double date? Me and Kay, you and Taz?"

"Sounds like we'll be roomies again tomorrow," Abby grinned, before changing the subject. "How'd the meeting go?"

"Tony's in shock," Tim offered. "Gibbs thinks most of the single males and even some married ones are as well."

"I can't believe you didn't begin with that!" Abby whined. "I would've loved to have seen it. And I wouldn't be surprised if Gibbs is right, after all, how often is he wrong?" Abby questioned. "How bad is Tony's shock? Has he started to contact all his previous conquests asking them if they've given birth in the last year?"

Tim snorted, "He's not even close to functioning at that level. I don't think he's even thought about anything like that. He couldn't even get out of his seat after the director finished. I had to help him and direct him back to his desk."

"Wow. Now I really wish I had seen that. It sounds pretty bad. Tony's usually good at handling the unusual and unexpected."

Tim paused as he remembered the meeting, giving a shrug he commented, "It's funny, during the meeting, he was joking and making typical 'Tony' remarks, but a few minutes after it ended, he was all 'Whoa."

"Whoa?" Abby repeated.

Tim nodded. "Yep, he must've said it over a dozen times before we entered the bullpen. Truthfully, I tuned him out. He was still saying it as I left to come down here."

Abby nodded as she checked on her 'babies' running various tests.

"So, how long do you think it will be before the bets on paternity start?"

"No…they wouldn't do that," he protested.

"Our coworkers? You give them more credit than they deserve. You better believe that they'll do that. And normally Tony would be the one to start it off."

Tim just shook his head in disbelief, "Well, I won't be involved."

"Not even with the insider information you have?"

"Especially then," he remained firm in his convictions. "Besides, I told you my theory regarding that."

"Yeah, yeah," she said dismissively, waving a hand. "But I am impressed with your stand on the betting. A lot of guys, people, wouldn't do the same."

Tim shook off her words and the beaming smile directed at him, and tried to change the subject. "The Director asked for everyone's cooperation during this unofficial investigation, including possible DNA testing on all male staff. The way I see it, they'll either have to be bullied into participating, afraid of the results or will flock here voluntarily to clear themselves."

"And which group would you be in, McGee?" Abby asked as a cry emitted from her office.

"Looks like Kay's either hungry or needs a change, can you take care of her for me?" Abby continued before Tim could respond, since she started to prepare the next round of testing for Major Mass Spect,

"Of course, but why are they here?"

"Why shouldn't they be? I'm not doing any dangerous testing right now."

"That's not the point," Tim argued as he exited her office, the baby in his arms.

"And you're avoiding my question," Abby retorted.

"Am not," Tim argued, "You started a new conversation. But, since you asked, I can't see how they could be mine, and part of me is glad for that, as much as I would love a family, I wouldn't want it to happen this way. I would offer my DNA for you to test right now, but I honestly think it would be a waste of time and since it takes so long to run it," he concluded with a shrug, "Well, that would delay discovering who the father really is."

Abby nodded. She was noticing how much Tim was getting attached to the little ones, but understood his point. "I know that I tease you, but truthfully, you would be the last one I would suspect. Especially because I cannot imagine someone you date not telling you that they were pregnant. I mean, yeah, you have attracted some strange characters over the years, but anyone that you were serious with would have to know that it would tear you apart not being a part of your kids' lives."

"Thanks, Abs."

"No problem, Roomie," she said with a grin. "So, anything else about the meeting?"

"I think the director was smart to have it so late. Have the meeting, send everyone home, let them digest the information, and come back tomorrow with a clearer head."

"So tomorrow will be the day."

"Could be. I figure we should be ready to hold those interviews. If everyone is honest, then we can wheedle down the most likely candidates for testing."

"Gibbs would appreciate that," she smirked.

"You don't really think he's the father, do you?"

"He's pretty confident that he's not, so no, I don't think he is. I just like the idea of it."

"Why?" Tim asked in concern. He couldn't imagine that she wanted someone to hurt him like this.

"Because of what he lost. He deserves a family and I know he would love these kids. I already know he's over there a lot."

"He doesn't need to be," Tim injected with a grin, "He could just come here."

"Ha!" She laughed in debate. "He hasn't let anyone see his softer side where these kids are concerned. Even though I know it's there, that he's been over there checking on them a couple of times a day."

Tim frowned. He had been able to observe Gibbs with the twins. Even when he was caught up in his own memories, he knew his boss had been there, looking after both him and the twins.

"He could give these kids so much love" she continued. "Could teach them so much. Look at all the things that we learned from him, and I'm talking about life things, not just work. I mean, I know that he sometimes sees us as his kids, especially when we bicker and argue, and he has to referee or stop us," she smirks, "But that's not the same as having a family. I really want that for him. He would be a great dad."

As if noticing how little Tim has said, Abby turns to him and asks, suspiciously "Why are you so quiet? What are you thinking?"

Tim shook his head, "I'm just…well, honestly, I'm just thinking about how much of the softer side I've seen of him lately. The only other time I've really seen it was when Kate died."

"He went from one extreme to the other in that situation," Abby admitted.

Tim nodded, lost in his own thoughts, "It's strange. He willingly, _eagerly_ listened to my thoughts and ideas on this case, even though it's an unofficial one that I shouldn't have been involved with. He then read me into it, and put me to work as soon as he could. He got me to hold one of the babies, while he held the other. Later, after handing off Taz to the nurse, he comforted me when I was upset. He helped me escape Tony's prying eyes and nose; Told Tony to undo any tricks at my desk. He _apologized_ if any action on his part had caused me pain. He talked to me about feelings and understood if I needed time away; He pulled me offsite and away from prying eyes and ears to keep my private life private."

Abby stared at him, her eyes getting wider with each sentence he spoke. "Wow."

"I know." Tim agreed. "All that in the last 48 hours."

A comfortable silence fell between the two as each realized the impact two little babies have had on their team in only a few days. Noticing the time, Tim decided to get the twins packed up to return to the center while Abby finished up her project.

"You ready to go?" she asked, after she started the new test. At Tim's nod, she gathered her belongings and ushered him and the twins out of the lab and locked the door.

* * *

Halfway through the week (in the story); a clue should be found soon, wonder what it would be?

Thank you for all the reviews

6-10-18


	15. T' is fortwo things (DC15)

Standard disclaimer applies; not beta'd

* * *

T FOR…TWO THINGS

"Did you have a better night last night?" Tim asked Abby as he entered the lab, hoping his search had found something on the twins over night.

"Definitely," she admitted. "Of course, I did stop by the center this morning to make sure Kay and Taz were okay."

Tim snorted, but before he could say anything, Abby slapped his arm.

"Ow!" he protested.

"That's what you get for laughing at me."

"I wasn't laughing at you," he protested, "I was laughing because on the drive in, I called to ask the same thing."

"Oh," Abby said, before she started to laugh.

"So, are they here?"

"Who?" Abby asked innocently.

Tim just shook his head and walking into her office, returning a moment later with a baby in his arms.

"Kay, again?"

Tim shrugged, "She was awake. I should be able to hold her and still check on my searches."

"Well, then, we best get to work, lots to do today."

Nodding, Tim sat at the computer and started working. He wasn't sure how much time transpired before a familiar word was heard.

"Whoa."

Tim and Abby snickered and turned towards the doorway as Tony stepped into the lab and uttered the only phrase Tony had heard him utter since the building wide meeting ended last night.

"Whoa." he repeated as he dropped onto the nearest lab stool. "Babies…Abandoned at NCIS…I didn't, couldn't really believe it was true."

"Well, it is, and I'm glad to see that you added to your vocabulary."

Abby snickered at McGee's comments, "So, how did you overcome your shock?"

"It wasn't shock," Tony protested, defending himself. "It was just disbelief."

"Tony, you couldn't even get to the bullpen on your own and the only thing you were saying was 'whoa'."

"Well, yeah, but…whoa covers a lot. I mean the only other thing that could've been said in this situation was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

"Tony!" Abby chided, "Now I'm gonna have that song stuck in my head, thanks a lot."

Tim laughed, before he started to hum that tune, causing Abby to glare at him for a brief moment before she caught sight of the baby giggling in his arms from his actions

"Aw," Abby cooed at the sight of the happy baby.

"It might come in handy when we have to calm or entertain the twins tonight."

"Twins? Whoa."

Tim shook his head, "Tony, the director said _two_ babies were abandoned, less than 1 year in age."

"Well, yeah, but, well I guess I never really thought about it being twins."

"What did you think happen? Two mothers coincidentally abandoned their babies at NCIS where the fathers worked on the same day? Or perhaps two mothers collaborated to abandon them here."

"Forgive us lesser mortals, McGenius, not all of us process information as fast as you. A _normal_ person takes more than half a day to come to terms with such news as abandoned babies at NCIS, especially if they spent part of that time sleeping." Tony snapped.

"Hey, guys, enough," Abby refereed. "One, babies can sense tension, so knock it off, especially around them. Two, Tim has an advantage over you-"

"MIT, John Hopkins, and his degrees have nothing to do with this," Tony interrupted.

Abby raised an eyebrow at his outburst. "No, they don't. The advantage is that Tim knew about the situation _before_ the meeting."

"Wha…I…You…" Tony stammered, continuing in a hurt tone, "Why did Gibbs bring the both of you into this and not me?"

"It wasn't done on purpose," Tim tried to explain. "I came down to see Abby and overheard her and Gibbs discussing it, after I gave some insight into the situation, Gibbs pulled me in."

"Okay, I get that," Tony nodded, looking at McGee again. "Whoa."

Tim groaned, "I thought we got past that."

"We…I did. Gibbs slapped some sense into me, made sure I was okay, then sent me home to sleep," Tony admitted honestly.

The younger agent grinned, "Then what brought that one on?"

"You have a baby in your arms."

Abby snickered, "You're just noticing that now? She's been there since you entered the room."

"So I got a bit distracted…and you're doing it again, so stop," he commanded as he looked at Tim and the baby once more, a feeling of shock coming over him again.

"McGee? Are you the father?"

"Could be," Abby smirked, "But can you see McGee sleeping with someone and _not_ stalking her for the next nine months for a second date?"

"Ha, Ha," Tim mocked laugh at her words, hoping they would drop it.

Tony snickered, jolted out of his stupor, "McGee's not the type to sleep with someone on the first date."

"Trust me, I know."

"C'mon guys," Tim protested.

"He doesn't do 'casual' very well," Abby continued, a funny lilt to her voice, despite the teasing of the words, "Nah, if he got a girl pregnant he would've been in front of her parents within an hour, ring in hand."

" _He_ is right here," Tim announced.

"So he is and what an unusual appendage you've acquired," Tony smirked. "Of course, the last time I saw you with a baby, you were all awkward and nervous and, well, you know, you."

Tim's eyes flashed briefly, too quickly for Tony to identify the emotion behind them. As a cry went up from Abby's lab, he quickly commented, "Let's see how you do, then," as he moved to place Kay in Tony's arms.

"Oh, no, McGee," Tony tried to protest.

"It's either the quiet, cooing baby or the one that's screaming," Abby explained, "I can't right now, I need to prepare this testing."

"Fine," Tony reluctantly agreed, "I'll take the quiet one."

As her brother continued to cry, Tim showed Tony the basics of holding an infant. "Don't worry, Kay, Tony will take good care of you. Abby is right here and I'll be back as soon as I get your brother."

"K? I thought the director said we didn't know their names."

"We don't," Tim said as he walked away, "But we had to call them something."

"So you picked random letters of the alphabet? Or did you make them honorary agents and name them after MIB agents?"

"We had their initials and according to Gibbs, Timmy spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect nickname for this little one. Mostly because he refused to call them Girl Doe and Boy Doe."

Tony's nose scrunched up at that, "I can kind of see his point. I mean, we call unidentified bodies Doe's. I don't know if I could call a baby something similar."

"Thank you, Tony," Tim said, feeling vindicated on his thoughts and feelings, even if it was by Tony.

"So, what's that kid's new name? J?" he teased.

Tim blushed, "Um, haven't come up with one yet. Kay was pretty easy," he said, ignoring Abby's snickering and her muttered comment of '10 minutes'. "We're pretty sure that her first name begins with the letter K and 'Kay' sounds like a name itself, might even become a nickname for her when she gets older, p-"

"You're rambling," Tony interrupted.

"Right, well, like the letter 'K', 'T' has so many names it could stand for that it would be impossible to pick the correct one. Calling him 'T' sounds, well, all I can think of is jam and bread, but regardless 'T' is as bad as Boy Doe."

"Your rambling again," Tony smirked before asking, "T?"

Reaching into the evidence box on the table, Tim withdrew the bag with the blue blanket in it. Holding up and making sure the embroidery was showing, he said, "He was wrapped in this. As you can see, it's monogrammed with the initials TASG. Kay's was pink with KASG on it."

He looked between the blanket and Tim a few times, not saying anything. Wondering if Tony had gone into shock again, Tim looked at Abby. Before the two could react, the Senior Agent said, "There's no computer thing you're doing that involves accountants or lawyers or moles is there?"

"No," Tim said with a shake of his head to emphasize that fact, leaving a puzzled Abby looking on.

"Right, well, then, we need to come up with a name for this little guy," Tony said, steering away from dangerous territory.

"I wanted to call him Junior but Tim and Gibbs vetoed that," Abby pouted, as she started the test on the system before cleaning the lab area and her hands.

"So do I," Tony stated firmly, "As a 'Junior' it is my right. Trust me, that is one nickname you don't outgrow.

"And we have no idea what the 'T' stands for?" Receiving shakes of heads from his companions, he gave it some more thought. "Hmm…Hey! Maybe it stands for Tony," he excitedly announced.

Abby and Tim exchanged looks, wondering if Tony knew what he was saying.

"Do you want it to stand for Tony?"

"It would be pretty cool to have him share a name with me," Tony admitted.

Tim shook his head at how oblivious Tony was, something that was highly unusual for the 'Very' Special Agent.

"Um, Tony," Abby said softly, "One thing we do know is that the kids are in some way named for their father."

"Oh…OH! Well, maybe the 'T' doesn't stand for Tony. Which by the way isn't really my name…er, not that I'm lying to you guys or using an alias. Just a nickname, you know, Tony, short for Anthony. Anthony with an 'A', not a 'T', he finished emphatically to the others' amusement.

"'A' for Anthony," Tim repeated with a smile, enjoying the moment, especially when Tony nodded insistently in agreement.

"Anthony, which begins with 'A'" Abby stated, understanding where Tim was heading. "which happens to be his middle initial. Maybe he is named after you."

Tony stared at them in shock, "Oh my God," he muttered, "Abby, you might want to take Kay from me before I faint."

With a small laugh Abby immediately jumped over to him to rescue the baby girl, though Tony didn't faint.

"Whoa."

"Not again," Tim muttered. "Look, Tony," Tim began, only to pause when the man he was talking to visibly flinched at the sound of his name. "Yes, you could be the father, but so could a number of other people who work here. As I told Abby and Gibbs, being named after the father doesn't necessarily mean _sharing_ the same name as the father."

"Whoa," Tony gasped, ignoring Tim's subsequent cringe, "You guys seriously investigated Gibbs as a potential father to these two?"

"Still am," Abby confirmed. "Not a lot of people have been ruled out yet. I can only run one test at a time, plus we needed to test everything that was left with the babies first so we could use it as needed."

"How did he take it?" Tony asked curiously.

"About as well as you," Abby grinned, "Though he didn't think he was going to faint," she finished, causing Tim to laugh.

"Oh, yeah, laugh it up McFather, remember 'T' can also stand for Timothy."

McGee rolled his eyes at Tony's weak shot, "I know, Tony, I know."

* * *

So what does TASG & KASG stand for?

Is it Tony? Is it Timmy? Neither?

On a positive note, I hope to have this fic and Degrees of Truth finished by my birthday. Degrees should definitely be posted by then (only have epilogue left). We shall see about this one.

6-14-18


	16. Betting on April Fool's (DC16)

Not Beta'd; Do not own NCIS

* * *

"Are we sure these two are twins?" Tony asked, looking at the two babies. "I mean, they're really not twinning."

"Fraternal twins, Tony," Tim supplied. "Dizygotic,-"

"Whoa, there, McEager, there's no reason for anyone to die or to call them psychotic."

Tim rolled his eyes at the senior agent, "Conceived from two separate eggs and two different sperm, fraternal twins. Unlike identical, they have no more chances of looking alike than any other siblings."

"Ah, I knew a set of fraternal twins," Tony remembered fondly. "While some features were different, they were alike in many, many ways," he concluded with a leer.

Tim shook his head. He really shouldn't be surprised by his conversations with Tony.

"Seriously,"

"Tony, I really don't want to hear about your time with those twins," Tim interrupted, continuing when Tony opened his mouth, "Or any other twins either."

"Fine. Your loss. You probably could've learned something," Tony added with a grin. "But what I was going to say was seriously, are we sure that they are twins?"

"One of the first things Abby did was test their DNA and blood against each other. They are definitely full blood siblings, and since they appear to be the same age, yes, they are twins."

"Oh, well, there's goes that theory."

Tim frowned in confusion, "What theory could possibly be due to the fact that they weren't twins?"

"I was thinking it would be an incredible April Fool's Day joke," Tony grinned, continuing when Tim opened his mouth. "No seriously, think about it. You drop two kids off at a building saying that their father works inside, everybody in the building goes insane trying to figure out who. The best part is the men," Tony carried on, raising a hand to keep Tim from interrupting, "who are all worried that they're the father. I mean, can you imagine being married, having an affair and then months later, twins are dropped off at your office. Do you tell your wife that you cheated on her now or do you wait until there is proof? Of course, you would come out and wish everyone a Happy April Fool's day before he or anyone else did such a thing. Wouldn't that be the best April Fool's Day joke? I mean, it's obvious why I thought it might be one."

Tim sat in stunned silence after his partner finished explaining the 'joke'. "Tony, that has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say."

"Hey!"

"First off, it's _November_ , not April. Second, it is cruel and stupid to mess with people's lives that way. Third, most likely the minute the babies were dropped off, it was too late for the joke not to be taken too far. They would've called the police and/or social services within the first five minutes."

"We didn't," Tony protested.

Shaking his head, he responded, "A, we have trained investigators and lab techs in the building, no need to call outside help. B, the only reason why we didn't call CPS is to help the father. Once they become involved the courts would as well.

"Tell me, Tony, in your joke scenario, once the police and CPS was called, how would the mother explain that she left her kids in the bathroom of a building as a _joke_?"

Tony opened his mouth to respond only to close it when he realized that he didn't really have an answer.

"It still could've been funny," he muttered defensively.

"Tell that to the father once we find out who he is," Tim snapped before he left to return to Abby's lab to check on the searches he started.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, only to gasp "Ouch, thanks, boss," at what should've been an expected head slap.

"DiNozzo, if you think this situation is funny, than the only fool here is you."

* * *

"Have people starting turning in their surveys yet?" Tony asked as he approached Tim an hour later.

Tim frowned, "Not really, we really thought we would have more in by now. And they're not surveys, their questionnaires."

"Good. Before you start to review them you need to place your bet in the pool."

"Seriously, Tony?"

"Well, yeah. Once the questionnaires are done, you'll know who is most likely to be the father. "

Tim shook his head, "Not what I meant. I meant you're seriously setting up a betting pool on this? This isn't a sporting event, this is someone's life drastically changing. And the questionnaires are confidential, without the key, I won't know you're responses from Joe in security."

Tony snorted, "Please, like confidentiality has ever kept things a secret before. And I know it's not a sporting event, this is bigger. I mean, the Super Bowl and World Series happen once a year, this…this is a once in a lifetime event. Besides, what better way to get people involved than a betting pool?"

"Maybe a collection? Money, clothes, toys, et cetera to help the new father out?" Tim supplied dryly. "Regardless, Tony, a bet is completely inappropriate."

"No, it's a good way to reach out to our coworkers. I mean, at least half the staff, definitely, the female half, aren't really involved. Unless one of them is the mother," Tony said with a frown, "Which would explain how the kids were left here and how she knew the dad worked here…Anyway, this way they can participate too."

"Tony, this is crass, even for you."

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, you can donate part of your winnings to the father. Tim, think of the possibilities. You even have some insider information…care to share or place your bet? I'll give you good odds."

"No, Tony."

"C'mon, how about one of the G's?"

"No."

"Want to try for most likely? I noticed Johnson from legal seemed pretty pale this morning."

"Not gonna happen."

"Anyone is fair game, though accounting and cyber crimes staff members aren't favorites. Most of the married men have the same odds, except for Diggs and Towlski. Both have been known to cheat on their wives while on business trips," Tony confided.

"No."

"How about betting on yourself? I mean, it's a longshot, but we can't leave anyone out."

"God, Tony, will you just _stop_ ," Tim hissed, staring him in the face. "Why can't you understand that I do _not_ want any part of this. Abby said it would happen, she even suspected you would be the one to initiate it. I was hoping she was wrong, but once again, it looks like I was. What is it with you and making a mockery of other peoples misfortunes, be it stranger, foe, or supposed friend? Why do you have to turn everything into a joke or a subject of ridicule? One of our colleagues life is about to change and you want to be entertained by it. At least you haven't yet compared it to a movie," he snarled.

"Tell Gibbs I…you know what, never mind. I'll tell him myself," Tim snapped as he grabbed his phone and left, heading for the stairs.

"Probie?" Tony questioned, only to realize he was by himself. "What the hell just happened?" he asked the empty room.

* * *

Tony, Tony, Tony, what are we going to do with you?

So no guesses/speculations on the kids' names?

Thank you for the review. I appreciate you taking the time and leaving them; I've enjoyed reading them, you guys have some great insights and points and I do appreciate them.

6-18-18


	17. Interviewing a suspect (DC17)

Not beta'd; standard disclaimer applies;

A/N: So I might've been a bit hard on Tony in the last chapter-fair warning: it continues a bit in this chapter, but not without cause and not just because McGee is my favorite :), I think Tony might react in such an overboard way because he is scared of what is happening, he doesn't want to admit it or have it show, so he forces himself to make jokes regarding the situation and deflect it, if he went all quiet and sullen, people would suspect something. Plus, I needed Gibbs to get a bit annoyed with him to force his interview sooner rather than later and his joking made that possible. Don't worry, Tony does redeem himself as the story goes on. I do like Tony, even if I think he does go too far sometimes.

* * *

"So I hear you and Abby have been playing house," Tony teased as McGee settled in behind his desk later that morning. "How does it feel, McDaddy? This taste of domesticity have you ready to add McGroom or McHubby to your repertoire of aliases?"

As upset as he still was with the older agent, Tim frowned as he worried about what aliases Tony was referring too. What did he know? While he didn't want to engage Tony in a conversation, especially about the current situation NCIS found itself in, he was afraid to ignore the last word he spoke. Deciding that the only way to obtain that information was to ask the source, McGee proceeded to do so, "Aliases?"

Tony shrugged, "Yeah, you know: Probie, Elf Lord, McGoo, McGoogle, McGeek, McGeekle, McNerd, McGullible, McFl-"

"All right, enough, I get it," Tim interrupted his partner's list, glad that they are all nicknames Tony had used and not Tim's actual alias. He was also surprised that Tony could remember that many, since most of them were only used once. "You know, you are the only one that uses most of those nicknames."

"And you should feel privileged."

"Whatever," Tim muttered, focusing on the monitor at his desk, now that his mind was at ease that Tony was unaware of his secret.

"Probie, you didn't answer the question," Tony chided. After a few minutes of silence, he repeated, "Are you enjoying playing house with Abby?"

"DiNozzo, what are you doing?"

"Trying to get McGoo over here to admit that he's enjoying this situation."

"What situation would that be?"

"You know, the one that allows him to take advantage of Abby and play house with her," Tony responded without filtering his words. When he looked up, Gibbs' eyes were turned onto him. "I mean-"

"You mean the situation where two _babies_ were abandoned by their mother at their father's workplace? A father that not only did not know they were coming, but in fact, did not even know they existed? The father that we have spent over 80 hours trying to identify? Is that the situation you are referring to?"

"Er, yeah," Tony reluctantly admitted.

"McGee, go see Abby. I don't care what it takes, make sure you interview Tony today, and _soon,_ " he stressed.

"Interview?" Tony parroted. "Boss? What do y-"

"Go," Gibbs interrupted Tony, indicating with his head for McGee leave.

"Yes, boss," Tim agreed

* * *

The first thing Tony noticed when he entered Abby's office was that Tim wasn't meeting his eyes. Okay, so that was actually the second thing he noticed, the first thing was that the twins were no longer down here. Still, it was the lack of eye contact that bothered him the most. Tim wasn't one to keep grudges. One would think he wouldn't be mad anymore, especially since Tony still couldn't figure out what happened.

Shaking it off, Tony asked, "So, what's this interview about?"

"Have a seat, Tony," Tim instructed.

Tony nodded and looked between his two coworkers for a moment before taking the offered seat.

"We ask that you be honest with your answers," Abby began.

"Of course," Tony readily agreed.

"Good, now think back to about a year and a half ago-"

"Plague," Tony injected reflexively.

"Er, yeah, around that time period,"

"Give and take a month or so," Tim added.

"Okay," Tony acknowledged with a nod, as he tried to remember that time period. Everything that happened before he was fighting for his life against a medieval disease seemed unimportant. After he started to recover, Kate died, and after that, nothing really seemed to matter.

"Now," Abby began, "It is believed that the twins are under one year of age. Their birth date is estimated to be early this year, January or February, or late the previous year, December. This would put there conception around late April to late June.

"Now, were you seeing anyone seriously in that time frame?"

"Serious how?"

Tim rolled his eyes as Abby chimed in, "Were you sleeping with anyone?"

"Well, yeah, we're talking about a period of at least three months here. McChastity here is probably the only one who can say otherwise."

"Real nice, DiNozzo," Tim drawled, shaking his head. Will Tony ever learn to be serious?

"Were you using protection and what kind?"

"Combo of pill and condom," Tony answered, "And we're talking ju-"

"Tony, enough," Tim interrupted. "We could care less what kind, what size or how often you bought them."

"Who supplied the condoms?" Abby asked, "You or her?"

Tony frowned, "Both," he admitted, "Depending on who I was with."

"How many different women and how long did you se-sleep with each one?"

Tony smirked, "Well, I could la-"

"Tony, again, no one cares how long you say you can last. We are trying to figure out the likelihood of you being the twins' father."

"Not just say,"

"Tony, enough," Tim spoke firmly. "You can tell us, or you can have this same conversation with the Director and Gibbs. You're choice."

Tony swallowed, "Right. Er, well. St. Patty's day was spent with Colleen, a lovely Irish beauty," he smiled at the fond memories, "We stopped 'being together' right after that. It was more like a spring break fling type of thing.

"Er…Brittany was next, that didn't last long at all, a few weeks at most. I think I remember Tori after that, again over quickly, the relationship, not me," he grinned. "Er, I know someone else was in there, can't remember who…Anyway, I know I was seeing Nikki when I was fighting the plague. She broke it off by text. Text," Tony repeated sadly. "Didn't believe me when I told her I wasn't contagious. She really sh-"

"Tony, don't make me slap you," Tim challenged.

"Ha! As if you would."

"After the plague?" Abby asked.

"After…well," Tony admitted, "I was a bit wild."

Abby and Tim rolled their eyes, when wasn't Tony wild.

"No, really," Tony argued, seeing their reactions. "I was out of control. While recovering from the plague, I had to limit my physical activities, _all_ activities," he stressed. "It took everything I had to make it through the work day," he admitted, "I wasn't in any shape for extracurricular activities, which was a shame, cuz I had some incredible offers…There was this one girl from yo-"

 _Slap_

"Than-Hey!" Tony corrected himself, "What was that for?"

"Stay on topic, or I'll have McGee hit you again." Abby warned.

"Right," he reluctantly agreed. "Uh, where were we?"

"You being wild and out of control,"

"Recovering and barely making it through the work day,"

Abby and Tim spoke simultaneously, causing Tony's jaw to open in surprise, "You know, that's the first time this week you guys haven't answered in sync w-"

"Tony!" they shouted in unison.

"That's better," Tony grinned, before frowning again, "Yeah, so, I got the all clear to resume _normal activities_ the day before Kate died. Between, almost dying myself from a medieval disease and Kate dying, I just wanted to feel alive. I was out almost every night, never with the same person two nights in a row," he added. "Er, I didn't always get contact info, both of us knew that it was only a one-night thing all around."

Tim and Abby looked at each other, sure they had joked around about Tony being a potential candidate due to his 'extracurricular activities, but neither one of them had realized how likely a 'suspect' their friend could be. "How many women are we talking about here?"

Tony shrugged, "Wasn't really keeping track, I mean, I wasn't trying to break a record or anything. At least 3 or 4 different women a week for about 3 ½, 4 weeks."

Abby bit her lip to keep herself from commenting and indicated for Tim to respond for her.

"So at least a dozen women, maybe 16, possibly more," Tim observed, receiving a nod from Tony. "And with these women, who was responsible for birth control and what did you use?"

"A condom, always used one, usually mine, but sometimes…" he trailed off with a shrug.

"And how long did that behavior last?" Tim asked. He knew Tony indicated it was for about four weeks, but he wanted to verify that information. "And were there any additional relationships after?"

"Till about Mid-June, right around Father's Day, actually."

Abby snorted, then immediately covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry," she pleaded apologetically, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything by it-"

Tony gave her a tight smile, "It's all right. I understand. Kind of ironic, right? If it was anyone else, I know I would be taking shots like crazy at them." He paused for a moment before looking at Tim, "Thank you."

Tim shrugged, "What you went through wasn't a laughing matter. What's going on now, whether to you or someone else, isn't either."

"I know," Tony agreed with a frown. "I'm beginning to understand that now and I think I get why you and Gibbs were so mad at me, especially since now that I look at how recklessly I acted during that time, there's a very good chance that I could've, that I'm" Tony paused as he thought about what to say. With his past, it's probably more of a surprise that something like this didn't happen before.

"A potential candidate for fatherhood?" Tim supplied, deciding not to use Abby's other term of 'suspect' right now.

"Yeah, that," Tony agreed. "So, what else?"

"Any additional relationships during that time frame after 'Agent gone wild?" Abby asked.

"Just one, and condom. Kim," he supplied before snapping his fingers. "Sarah Anne? Sally Anne? Anna Sue?" Tony said to a confused audience. "Anna Sue, what can I do? Yes. That's it!"

"That's what?"

"The name of the other relationship that I couldn't remember. Anna Sue, beginning of May, I believe."

Another exchange of looks between his interrogators.

"Did any of them know where you worked?" Tim asked before Tony could question them about the look they exchanged.

"Yeah, a lot of them. I didn't keep what I do or where I worked a secret."

"Women like a man with a gun?" Abby smirked.

"Oh, yeah," Tony smirked back, "Probie, you should try it sometime."

Rolled eyes, "No thanks. Now if you two are done?" he asked, receiving nods from both of them. "Good. So, Tony, any family members with names or nicknames that begin with T, K, A, S, or G?"

Tony frowned at the unusual question. "Well, yeah," he admitted, "Anthony, Tony both myself and my dad. My great Aunt Sylvia; Grandparents Theresa, Alberto, Angela, Sal, er, Salvatore; Cousins Sergio, Gina, Gino, Guido."

"That's a lot of names."

"Big Italian family," Tony explained. "And those are just the ones that I remember and like."

"Really? So do you talk about them a lot?" On dates?"

Tony shrugged, "Sometimes, often, yeah. Uncle Serge's travel pics are always worth a trip to the apartment. Grampa Alberto's antics are always good for a laugh. Tia Theresa and Mama Angela have some great recipes."

"So your dates might know about them?"

"Well sure, it's not like I keep things hidden."

"That's for sure," Tim muttered.

"Hell, I even talk about you guys," Tony admitted. "Why? I mean, why were you asking about family names?"

"Tony, you saw the twins' monogrammed blankets. The childrens' names somehow refer to their father."

"McGee here," Abby said, pointing to him, "believes that the names given to the infants were important to the father. Family names, nicknames, places, things like that."

"Well, yeah, but my last name doesn't begin with G," Tony reminded them. After all, if it wasn't for that little fact, he really would think he was the kids' father.

"There is a strong possibility that the kids do not carry their father's surname," Tim supplied.

"How good?"

Tim noticed that Tony's skin was beginning to pale, "Less than 50%," Tim answered hesitantly.

"How less?" Tony asked, suspecting Tim of holding back.

"Can't really say," Tim acknowledged, "Since we don't really have much information on the mother."

"Tim, be honest with me," Tony pleaded.

Tim closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and meeting his partner's gaze. "Honestly, I think it would be about a 1% percent chance that they do."

Tony paled even more, "Oh. Is that your gut talking? Cuz you know, you can't argue with the gut."

Tim snorted, "No, it's my mind. Logic."

"Oh. Well, good I guess, I mean, not everyone is as logical as you, or thinks like you do," he rambled. "So, maybe the mother didn't think like you do. Cuz I really hope you're wrong, otherwise, there's a very very good chance that I'm…I'm…"

Tim shrugged, "You are as likely as anyone else."

"Really?" Tony asked skeptically, "Both of you really think that? With all that I just told you?"

Tim shrugged but said, "It only takes once."

"And I might've stacked the deck, so to speak."

Abby didn't verbally respond, but instead just looked away not meeting his eyes.

"Great…just great," Tony moaned.

"Tony, it'll be okay."

"How, McGee? How will it be okay?"

"You might not be the fa-the one," he substituted when Tony glared at him, "And even if you are, you won't be alone."

"Well, whoever the mothe

r is, she isn't coming near them, not after abandoning them like this."

"I meant you'll have the team."

"McGee loves the kids," Abby chimed in.

Tim raised his eyebrow, "Abby's been kidnapping them from Daycare and bringing them to her lab everyday."

"He renamed them."

"Nicknames," Tim reminded them, "And you picked Taz."

"You-"

"Well," Tony finally interrupted them, even though it was amusing, "At least I know that you two are in."

"Gibbs as well," Abby volunteered, hastening to add at Tony's inquiring look, "Really. You know he'll help. He's been over there to see them a couple of times a day, as well."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the little ones are addictive," Abby grinned.

* * *

So, I took some liberty regarding Tony's family. I know he's mentioned some family on the show, so why not a big Italian family?

And we learn a bit more about Tony.

Hope you all enjoyed this.

It's a longer chapter, but unfortunately, the next one won't be as long.

6-21-18


	18. Genes (DC18)

Not beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies

* * *

"Hey, want to grab lunch?" Tony asked his partner. He wasn't sure he wanted to alone after that interview. The questions and answers kept repeating over and over in his head, as well as the possibilities of what might be.

"Yeah," Tim agreed, suspecting that Tony probably wanted to talk away from work and the twins that Abby would no doubt be bringing back to the lab. "Just let me check on a few sear-things and we can head out," Tim agreed.

After a few minutes, and a quick text to Gibbs to inform him of their plans and ask if he wanted anything, Tim and Tony left to get lunch. The walk to the sub shop was done in silence, broken only when they arrived and placed their orders. Likewise, very little was said as they sat down waiting for their order and as they consumed it, both waiting for the other to bring up the topic.

Finally, Tony couldn't take it any more, "So what are the odds?" he finally asked.

"Huh?" a confused Tim asked.

"What are the odds of me being the father?" Tony clarified. "I mean, you've must've read some of the survey's,"

"Questionnaire's" Tim corrected.

"And know if anyone else was as..." Tony paused as he tried to diplomatically word his past actions, " _loving_ , as I was."

Tim tried to keep from snorting at Tony's phrasing, but was pretty sure he wasn't successful. "Tony, I can't discuss any one else with you, just like I wouldn't discuss you with anyone else."

"Yeah, yeah, McMorals," Tony waved a hand dismissively, "I'm not asking for names, I just want to know the odds."

Tim shrugged, "It only takes once," he repeated what he told Tony earlier that day.

"Seriously? That's the best you got?" Tony asked in disgust.

"Tony," Tim began softly, patiently, "I really can't give you odds. We know nothing about the mother and fairly little about the kids themselves."

"And not much about the father except that he has lousy tastes in bed partners," Tony grumbled. "God, I can't believe this is happening. I never thought that I would be…well, okay," Tony admitted, "I guess I did think it, _briefly_ ," he admitted, "and maybe I suspected that it was possible, but I didn't _really_ think it was possible."

Tim nodded, surprisingly understanding what Tony was saying…and what he wasn't. "That explains your reactions," Tim added softly.

"No, yes, well maybe," Tony agreed.

Tim ignored him and continued, "If we all weren't so freaked out and stressed by the situation, we would've realized it sooner."

"Realized what?" Tony asked defensively.

"Tony, as bad as you get sometimes, and as…well, normally you wouldn't be as juvenile and insensitive about such things, especially when it involves kids and Gibbs is around," Tim admitted. "We should've suspected that you were worried and were trying to hide or detract from that."

"I'm not worried," Tony protested. Tim just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not," he repeated, before falling silent for a few moments. "After that interview, I'm down right petrified," he admitted.

"I know, but worrying isn't going to change the truth."

"And what is the truth?" Tony asked.

"Sadly, that is something we have yet to discover," he stated, "And we won't if we stay here," he reminded his fellow agent.

"Yeah, yeah," Tony agreed, "You go work on that, I'll get back to cold cases," Tony replied as he began to clear the table so that the two could head back to NCIS.

* * *

"Learn something, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked when his two agents finally returned to the bullpen bringing Gibbs his lunch.

Tony nodded as he sank down in his chair, "Yeah."

"Good," Gibbs stated as he turned his attention back to the work on his desk.

"I might be a fa…fa..fa-"

"Don't borrow trouble, DiNozzo," the supervisory agent advised. "If you are, it'll come out in due time. Until the father is revealed, it will not do you any good to dwell on the possibilities."

"Right," Tony nodded decisively.

"I will suggest, to both of you," he added, including Tim in this direction, "that anyone you were with during the possible time of conception and did not have contact with 4-9 months later, you follow up on."

At this announcement, Tony paled.

"Is that a problem DiNozzo?"

"No, no problem boss," he responded, "It's just, well, I probably _wasn't_ in contact with more of them than I was…I mean,"

"I get it DiNozzo, it looks like you have a lot of homework to do," Gibbs observed.

"What about McSilent, over there?"

Tim ignored Tony's tone and looked at Gibbs as he answered, "I was in contact with them at least four months after."

"Of course you were," Tony muttered before the meaning of Tim's words registered. "Them? As in at least two, more than one? I'm impressed, Probie. Course, I would've been more impressed if it was two at the same time, but baby steps," he said instigating an awkward silence, "Er, I didn-"

"Just stop, Tony," Tim admonished, even if he understood Tony's instinctive reactions, it didn't mean he would tolerate it.

"And make sure you pay special attention to those who know where you work," Gibbs added, looking at both agents.

Tim shrugged, "I don't tell the women I date where I work or what I do," Tim explained.

"So you're saying nobody knows," Tony stated skeptically.

"No, Tony, that's not what I'm saying. Some friends know, my sister knows, Pen-"

"Whoa, wait a minute," Tony interrupted, "You have a sister? Why didn't I know this? What she's like? Is she a McGeek like you? How old is she? Is she your twin?" Tony rapidly fired questions at his probie, not noticing the color drain from his face at that last question, "Ooh, I heard twins run in the family?"

"Enough DiNozzo, given what you've shared regarding past relationships Tim should put out a restraining order on you in regards to his sister."

Tony adopted a hurt expression on his face, while Tim gave a thankful nod to his boss for helping him get Tony off the subject, not that he thought it would last long.

"So, DiNozzo, still think this situation is funny?"

"Definitely not from this perspective."

Gibbs nodded, he well understood that idea. "Everyone should remember that once the father is identified."

Tim added, "No doubt he'll need help and advice. It's a lot of change to take on at a moment's notice."

Gibbs nodded again, feeling very proud of his agents and how they were handling this difficult situation.

* * *

"Hey, McGee," Gibbs called, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, boss," came the puzzled reply.

"You know Tony's not gonna let the issue of your sister drop, right? I could order him to leave it alone, but, honestly, that would probably just make him push more."

Tim smiled wanly as he realized what his boss meant with his first question, "Yeah, I know. It's okay. I'll deal with it. Hopefully he'll see that Sarah is too young for him. If not, I'll tell her she's a lot like me, another McGeek, that should keep him away," he smirked, before cringing.

"What?"

"I just realized that I _really_ don't want those two to meet," he admitted. "I mean, Sarah can take care of herself, especially against a player like Tony, but the amount of material she could supply him with…I'd be miserable for _decades_."

Gibbs gave a small chuckle at his agent's dismay. "Another question I wanted to ask you,"

"Shoot."

"Are twins hereditary?"

"Er, yes and no, boss," Tim answered, continuing when Gibbs gave him an impatient look. "They are hereditary, especially fraternal twins," he explained, rushing to finish when Gibbs opened his mouth, "But it's because the _woman_ carries that trait, not the man. If I carried it, I could pass it on to my daughter, resulting in her possibly having fraternal twins. I could pass it on to my son as well, but he would only have fraternal twins if the mother had the gene, but he could pass it on to his daughter. Likewise, if I did have fraternal twins, it would be because the mother had that trait, not me." At Gibbs' confused look, he uncomfortably explained, "Fraternal twins occur because a woman's body releases more than one egg at a time. Nothing a man, or the father does, can make this happen. It is solely dependent on the woman's cycle," he concluded, blushing bright red. "That is also why women who undergo fertility treatment often have fraternal multiple births, the drugs force their bodies to release more eggs to increase the chance of pregnancy."

Gibbs nodded in understanding. It's amazing how this man has a degree in bio-medical engineering and can understand all that's involved, yet still gets embarrassed over the slightest things.

* * *

A/N: this takes place before 'twisted sister' so Tony does not know about Sarah, likewise, from previous 'chapter' he does not know about Gemcity, that was the alias Tim was worried about. (I firmly believe Gibbs knew about it before Sarah mentioned it)

I think Tony's reaction and actions make a bit more sense now...and so does the team.

It's a busy Thursday for the team, and it's only lunch time! No doubt it will be a busy day, plus Abby and Tim will be babysitting tonight unless the father is revealed.

Hope you enjoyed it.

6-24-18


	19. Laboring (DC19)

Not Beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

"What you got, Abs?" Gibbs finally asked as he entered her lab. From the moment he reached the doorway to the lab, all he could see was Abby and Tim staring at each other, neither one saying a word. He had waited a few minutes to see if Abby realized he was there, but it quickly became apparent that the only thing she was noticing was Timothy McGee. No wonder Tony had been dropping hints about something going on between the two.

With his two coworkers blocking the screen, he did not notice as the image changed, nor was he able to see the expressions that graced Abby's and Tim's face, an unusual combination of surprise, alarm, dismay, and horror.

"Gibbs…you're here," she tried to happily exclaim, breaking eye contact with Tim to greet one of her favorite people.

"Yep, been here for a few minutes, which you would've noticed if you and McGee weren't mooning over each other."

"We weren't"

"It's not like"

They started to protest in unison before stopping, belatedly realized that they should've let him keep those thoughts.

"Uh,huh," he said doubtfully, "Then what were you doing?"

Silence took over the lab, only broken by a crying baby.

"You brought them into your lab?" Gibbs questioned harshly.

"Don't get so parental…uh, I mean," Abby stammered as McGee got up to escape, er, check on the kids. "There's no harmful chemicals out right now, in fact there hasn't been the entire day. Even so, just to make sure it's safe, the twins are in my office."

Gibbs just eyed her suspiciously, "So what were you doing and why are they here?"

"Just some more testing," Abby finally answered, turning away from Gibbs.

Gibbs eyed her for minute, "C'mon, Abs, I know it's more than that."

"Er, well, we went to the daycare to get some more samples from the kids, and we noticed that some of the kids at the daycare were sick. Well, the last thing"

"Abby,"

"We wanted was to turn these kids over to y-their father in worse condition then when we got them. I mean, what kind"

"Abby,"

"Of reunion or um, first meeting would that be? Two kids cranky because they're sick, a new"

"Abby,"

"Er, newly discovered father trying to bond with sick kids. That's a-"

"Abby." Gibbs finally got her to stop by stepping in front of her and placing his fingers over her lips. "I understand you not wanting the kids to get sick. Now tell me what you found," he said, only removing his hand when Abby nodded in agreement.

"You know," she said, as she sidestepped around him, "It's really Tim who found it. I think he should tell you."

"What?!" Tim yelped from her office.

"McGee, get out here and tell Gibbs what you found."

"Me? But?" Tim began to protest, before looking down in his arms, "I'm in the middle of giving Ka-ay a bottle. You know how she gets if we stop. I'll hate to have Gibbs wait, so you can fill him in, I don't mind. _Really_ ," he stressed the last word, as if begging her to comply.

"No worries," Abby stated from the office door, turning back to Gibbs she instructed, "You wait right there, I'll take over for Timmy and then check on To-Taz while Tim fills you in." Entering her office, she pressed the switch that set the lab door to close, turning off the motion sensor.

"Darn him," she muttered in a soft whisper only Tim could hear, even with the soundproof door closed, she wouldn't test the older man's super hearing. "I was really hoping that for a change his gut wouldn't tell him that we had something."

"Abby," Tim hissed in reply, turning so Gibbs couldn't read his lips. "Why are you making me do this?"

Abby shrugged, "You are the one that found it, so you should get the credit for your program."

He snorted, "That never concerned you before, nor does Gibbs care about any programs I create. He just cares about the results."

"Well, he'll really care about these results," she smirked, glancing at the man standing alone in the lab, staring at them. "Now let me take her so you can get started. Making him wait isn't going to help."

"It would've been so much easier if you told him."

"Easier for you, you mean," Abby protested, as she settled the baby in her arms.

"Easier for everyone," Tim argued. "Good news or bad, he'll never get mad at you."

Abby shrugged, "That's 'cause it's science…usually," she amended.

Tim snorted, "It's still science, just biology this time."

Abby laughed as she pressed the button to open her office doors and keep them that way, "Now go, your boss is waiting for some news."

"Coward," Tim hissed before turning around and joining his boss in the lab.

"McGee," Gibbs hissed, commanding the young agent's attention, "You got something?"

"Ah, yeah," Tim admitted hesitantly. "You see, I realized that odds are the mother was pretty local, after all, the father works here and if it was a one-night stand or such she probably wouldn't have known that. I myself don't tell people where I work until the relationship becomes more serious. Of course, there was the possibility that the father was away when this tryst occurred, but why would she go to the trouble of traveling, with twins no less," Tim argued, "to drop them off at his workplace, especially since she never even told him she was pregnant. I mean, obviously if she knew where he worked, then she would know how to get in touch with him, so that excuse wouldn't work. And even if she did travel, that would just give us another avenue to se-"

"Tim," The impatient man interrupted, trying to get him back on track.

"Right, any way, since she was carrying twins, and presumably wanted the kids, since she didn't terminate the pregnancy, and twins carry a greater risk of complications, both for the mother and children than a regular pregnancy, she probably gave birth in a hospital."

"Calling hospitals won't get you anywhere, we tried."

"Yes, right, I know," Tim agreed before continuing, "And we knew the approximate age of the twins, so we have an estimate of their date of birth."

Gibbs nodded and supplied, "Most likely late December, January or February."

"Right," Tim nodded, "We also knew the initials of-"

"McGee, stop telling me what we know and start telling me what you learned."

"Right," he repeated, releasing a controlled breath. "First, I'll tell you how I-we learned, it," he said, casting a look towards Abby in her office, who gave him a thumbs up and then merrily waved at him, before getting the baby in her arms to do the same.

"McGee," came the warning response.

"I'll be brief, boss, but you really should know _how_ we got this. I created a program that was able to generate a list from the local hospitals of all the births that met our criteria: twins; different genders; time period; last initial of the children. We slowly started expanding the search out and tweaking the criteria when no matching results came back," he concluded, knowing his boss really didn't want any specifics. He wouldn't want them on a good day, let alone today with the information Tim still had to share with him.

There was no easy way to share this information, Tim realized. Perhaps the best way was to show him. "Er, boss, have a seat," he said, not pointing to a lab stool, but a conference chair against the wall.

"McGee! If you don't finish you'll be needing to lie down," Gibbs growled impatiently.

"Please, boss," Tim pleaded, meeting his gaze. "I'll continue as soon as you do."

With a roll of his eyes, Gibbs did as asked, suspecting his agent wasn't going to give in. It wasn't often that McGee stood up to him, but he knew his agent had it in himself to do so.

Tim nodded to himself before walking over to the lab doors. He quickly picked up one of the babies and indicated for Abby to follow with the other. He then walked back into the labs and stood in front of Gibbs, transferring the little girl to his arms.

"McGe-"

"Boss, I'd like you to meet Katelyn Abigail Gibbs."

* * *

For my birthday, I decided to post updates for all my current stories throughout the day :)

Tim found out the kids' names...now what?

6-25-18


	20. A new direction (DC20)

_Not Beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies._

All I'm gonna say is 'I'm sorry.' You'll understand later.

* * *

 _"Boss, I'd like you to meet Katelyn Abigail Gibbs."_

Katelyn Abigail Gibbs...Katelyn Abigail Gibbs...Katelyn Abigail Gibbs

In the silence of the lab, Tim's words seemed to echo.

"Caitlyn," he repeated, his voice hoarse, filled with emotion, arms tightening around the child. "But K…"

"K-a-t-e-l-y-n," Tim clarified, giving an alternate spelling of the popular name.

Gibbs just nodded, continuing to look at the little girl, his little girl? When it seemed like he was more aware of his surroundings, Tim removed Katelyn from the older man's lap and nodded for Abby to put her brother in his place. "And this little man is Todd Anthony Gibbs."

Gibbs visibly swallowed. "B-But-But it can't be," he denied.

"Gibbs," Abby's voice broke as she spoke for the first time since Tim started the explanation. She couldn't recall an occasion when she ever heard her father-like figure stutter, and they had been through some tough times together.

"No." Gibbs stated firmly. "I said it from the very beginning, they are not mine, I mean, I'm old enough to be their grandfather."

"Gi-"

"What's their date of birth?" he interrupted.

"February 2."

"So they were conceived on-"

"A full term pregnancy would have the twins conceived around May 12," Abby supplied, receiving credulous looks from the two men in the lab. "What? I looked it up. It's called research."

"Oh," Tim responded.

"Not possible," Gibbs reiterated. "I wasn't seeing anyone at that time. I know because it was during the time DiNozzo was fighting the plague, there was too much going on to see someone, even casually," he added.

"Twins are often early. It is more likely that conception occurred in June."

Gibbs was silent for a moment. "No."

"Gibbs,"

"Abby, compare their DNA to mine, their blood, whatever it takes, anything you need," Gibbs ordered, placing Todd back in her arms. "This isn't, can't be possible."

"Okay," Abby agreed quietly, cradling the baby to her chest. "It's going to be about 12 hours before we have anything conf-I mean, before we know anything," she corrected.

Gibbs frowned, "I thought the test only took 10."

"It does, but it's in the process of one now," she added, "It should be done within the next two hours, then I'll have the next one ready to go."

"Good," Gibbs nodded, looking between his coworkers for a moment, neither one saying anything. "And not a word of this to anyone yet… _anyone_ ," he ordered, emphasize his point.

"Er, Boss?" Tim protested, "The Director?"

Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment and was silent as he debated what to do. Finally he spoke, "With me, McGee."

* * *

"Agent Gibbs, how good of you to knock," Director Shepherd sarcastically stated as he entered her office, followed by a double stroller filled with two infants and Timothy.

"Agent McGee, always a pleasure," She continued, looking between the two men and the stroller. "Is anything wrong?

"Yes."

"No."

Came the differing replies from the two men. At Gibbs' glare, Jenny turned to the one most likely to give her the information she needed, "Agent McGee, why are these children in my office and not at the day care center?"

"Abby and I signed them out of the day care and brought them to her lab for some testing. Er, don't worry, we made sure the lab was safe before we brought them there."

The director nodded, "Okay, that explains why they are not at the center, but not why they are in my office right now."

"Er...um," Tim hesitated looking at his boss. "Well, we had to leave the lab since Abby had a lot of testing to do and we wanted to make sure she wasn't disturbed or distracted by cooing or crying babies."

"I commend you for your reasoning on removing them from the lab. But again, why my office?"

Knowing he wasn't going to get any assistance from the other man in the room, Tim decided to use the same tactic he did when he explained thing to Gibbs. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Tim calmly stated, "I wanted to introduce them to you."

"We've met," Jenny commented dryly. Deciding that Gibbs was overreacting and that nothing was wrong, she knelt down to extract one of the twins from the stroller.

"Uh, yes, ma'am, I know, but we, that is, I, um, Abby and I believe we have determined their identities, or at least, their names."

The director straightened up upon hearing that news. "Well, that is progress," she said with a smile. "Good job."

Tim gave a slight tilt of his head at the praise.

"And the father?"

Tim caught Gibbs glare, "Not confirmed," he said, revealing no information. "That's what Abby is working on now."

"How about the mother? If we know her name, someone should recognize it, or at least a picture of her. We can use her DMV photo."

"We do not have that information either," he reported. "When we first tried calling hospitals to check on births of multiples, we could not obtain any information since it wasn't an official case and we had no warrant. Doctor/patient confidentiality," Tim reminded them. "The program I created checked local hospitals, based on information we know. We got a few potential matches and went from there. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to pull the birth certificates to discover what information is on that. All we have is the hospital records for the kids which include their information, not their parents."

"And why is that?"

Tim shrugged, "I'm not really sure, from what I can tell, sometimes it is because the birth mother might place the children as being available for adoption."

"I see." Jenny nodded, "We will have to determine if that is the case and if so, how it could impact our investigation."

Tim nodded, he had already began a file regarding the impact this new information could have on their case. Gibbs, however, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"So exactly what information did we obtain?" the Director asked.

"They were born on February 2nd, at 1:11 and 1:15 am. May I present to you, Katelyn Abigail and Todd Anthony."

"Katelyn and Todd," Jenny repeated. "Katelyn Abigail, Todd Anthony…and their last name?"

Another exchange of looks before an answer was provided. "Gibbs."

An awkward moment of silence settled in the room.

"Congratulations, Agent Gibbs; and once again, good job Agent McGee."

"Jen,"

"Ma'am,"

"Agent Gibbs, you might want to contact legal about how to proceed regarding custody."

"Ma'am," Tim tried to interrupt.

"I'm not sure who is on rotation for child care tonight, but I have no doubt they won't mind you taking it over."

"Director," Tim began again, "Perhaps it would be best to hold off on announcing anything until it is confirmed."

She frowned, "I thought you had a positive ID?"

"Yes, we believe we do on the kids, but unconfirmed regarding paternity."

"Their last name is listed as Gibbs," she argued.

"Yes," Tim agreed, with a look at his boos, "But first of all, Gibbs isn't that uncommon of a name; second, Gibbs, er, not the last name, but the agent," he clarified awkwardly, "states that he knows for a fact that anyone he was with was not pregnant a year ago, and well, I believe him," Tim added softly. "He wouldn't deny these kids were his unless he was sure of his facts."

"Pregnancies can be hidden."

Tim frowned while looking at his boss, "This is true, but highly unlikely."

Jenny sighed as she looked between the two agents, "So the last name is a coincidence? Isn't there a rule about that?"

Gibbs spoke up for the first time since Tim began the explanation, "McGee had a theory about the last name."

The director stared at the younger agent, "Is this theory a way for you to support your boss and provide him a way out of this solution?"

Tim visibly swallowed, "No, ma'am. You can ask Abby. I actually developed and explained this theory at the time I first learned about the situation, way before I knew the likelihood of Gibbs being a possibility."

"Which was when exactly?" she interrupted.

"Er," Tim paused, looking at his boss. Was she not aware of what happened at the beginning of the week? "Monday evening."

She turned her glare to Gibbs, "We will discuss _that_ later, Agent Gibbs," she stated calmly. "Very well, McGee, explain your theory."

"It developed because the note said the babies names were connected to the father. As I mentioned then, there are many ways to name a child after someone without giving them the same name: initials, family connection, anagram, name origin or meaning to name a new. Everyone involved at the start of the investigation automatically assumed the surname would be the same as the fathers, however, if the mother didn't inform him of the pregnancy, and I believe had no intention of doing so even as the twins got older, why would she give them his name? That's not exactly a way to keep things a secret."

"So you're saying it is a coincidence then," She commented dryly.

Tim shrugged, "Not necessarily, yes, it could be or it could be a family connection; then again, it could be that the father was married, cheating on his wife and gave a fake name."

The Director groaned, causing Tim and Gibbs to look at each other.

"What?" Gibbs growled impatiently.

"If they gave a false name to hide their identity, perhaps a false career and work location to go along with it?"

Tim paled, "Then the father could be anyone…anywhere."

All three fell silent at that idea.

"Maybe we should bring CPS in," Jen introduced the hated topic.

"No," Gibbs protested. "We just started getting information. I'm not giving up yet. Until everyone in this building is tested for paternity we will not contact them unless we have to."

The Director and Gibbs stared at one another, neither one backing down.

Jenny murmured indistinctively, looking at the twins.

"Agent McGee," Jenny said suddenly, "What were the kid's names again?"

"Katelyn Abigail and Todd Anthony," he supplied once more, spelling Katelyn's first name.

"Katelyn Abigail Gibbs. Todd Anthony Gibbs. Katelyn and Todd…Caitlyn Todd. Abigail and Anthony, Gibbs," she muttered softly, mostly indistinguishable.

"No," The director announced decisively. "With those names, I am confident that not only is the father in this building, but that he is familiar or connected to the MCRT."

She nodded firmly as she placed the baby back in the stroller and walked towards the door to usher them out. "Let me know the results of Miss Scuito's testing and then we will decide how to proceed."

* * *

Wow! What must be going through Gibbs' mind right now? It's going to be a long 10 hours or so for him while he waits for the DNA test.

Little bit more information for you regarding the twins.

Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to review, I love hearing what you guys are thinking/feeling.

6-26-18


	21. Option number 4 (21)

Not Beta'd'. standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

"I know these are our twins," Tim stated worriedly.

"Our?" Gibbs asked, surprised by the possessiveness of his agent.

"I mean, they have to be. Everything fits…almost."

"Almost?"

Tim sighed as he explained his quandary, "The blankets have TASG & KASG embroidered on them. But the hospital records only have Todd Anthony Gi-and Katelyn Abigail listed. No S, no names for the S," Tim explained.

Gibbs frowned, while it could mean that these records weren't for the twins currently in NCIS care, it was too much of a coincidence to believe. Every part, showed a connection to NCIS and specifically, the MCRT. Could the hidden names provide a valuable clue to the father's identity? More importantly, why was it hidden?

"You said two middle names were unusual for American children, could it be that the hospital just used the first one listed?"

"Well, yeah, that's what I figured when my original search showed no S," Tim agreed, leaving the sentence unfinished.

"But,"

Tim grimaced, "I found the official birth record of the twins, and that also doesn't list an S name."

Gibbs eyes narrowed as he glared at his agent. "And you didn't mention that earlier?"

"It didn't provide any new information?" he replied questioningly. "I mean, because it didn't provide any new information," he shared firmly. "Same name, birthdate, and times. Both the mother's and father's information is kept off the record."

"Which means?"

"The most common reason is because the mother or father is under age,"

"If the mother was underage, then there's no way in hell those are my kids," Gibbs snarled. "And they better _not_ be yours or Tony's or anyone over the age of 18 if that's the case."

"No sir, I mean, Yes, sir. I mean, if that's the case, they're definitely not mine, either," Tim stumbled trying to proclaim his innocence. "It could also mean that adoption was considered as a possibility."

"Any other reason?"

Tim shrugged, "A few, she could've planned it to happen that way. If she either didn't give her name upon entering the hospital, or if she came prepared with legal documents to ensure her privacy, the hospital would have no choice but to leave the mother's name off the record."

"Why would she want that and which is more likely?"

"It's done to ensure privacy. A few celebrities have done it to keep from being hounded while at the hospital. She could've done it so no one would track her down. After all, the hospital can't say whether or not Mary Sue is there if Mary Sue didn't tell them her name.

"As for which is more likely of the two, the legal document scenario. With the cost of delivery, especially when carrying twins, she would've needed to provide a name for insurance purposes, assuming she had insurance," he added. "Asking to be anonymous at the hospital, well, she could've declared that she was on the run from an abusive ex, that would've had most lawyers drawing up the paperwork and the hospital agreeing. Of course, giving a reason isn't necessary, one just has to claim confidentiality."

"I see," Gibbs stated. "So it could be that the S isn't officially part of their name."

"Yes, or it could be that she changed their names later on."

"Wait, that's possible?" Gibbs asked. "In that case, couldn't the twins have been born with the name John and Sally Smith?"

Tim tried to hide a smile, though from the glare Gibbs was sending his way, he wasn't succeeding. 'Yes, it's possible. But if there was a major name change, usually the courts would require a valid reason and proof."

"Like?"

"Adoption, is the first reason that comes to mind. Especially if the last name changes. Change in custodial parent is another. With child abductions being so prevalent in the world, no one wants to risk helping a criminal hide a child from the rightful parent or guardian. In most cases, the one requesting the change has to assure that it is not for fraudulent or other illegal purposes.

"And often if it is a complete change in name, it would require notice be given to any living birth parent or that a notice to be placed in the local paper for a set period of time, giving others a chance to discover it and file a petition to prevent the change."

"Okay, but to add a middle name?"

"There are two ways to do so. The first is through the legal system. You would need to complete any necessary forms and file amended paperwork, birth certificates in this case, and add the name. The lawyer will present the request to the local court system, which will review it and most likely in this case approve it."

"And the second way?"

"Doesn't provide a paper trail," McGee admitted. "It's basically done by use. Known as either 'common law' or 'assumed name'. Basically it means that by using those names for the twins, it becomes their names. Likewise, if, when they get older, if they stop using one or both middle names, then it is no longer considered part of their name."

"Seriously?"

Tim nodded. "As it is, SSA doesn't consider a middle name as part of your legal name."

Gibbs shook his head and began walking away. "See if you can find anything regarding the name change through legal means."

"Will do, Boss. Most likely that is the one used, since not many are aware that the other is legal," Tim informed him.

* * *

"Abby?"

"No news yet, Gibbs," Abby responded, trying to hide her smile at his anxiousness. It had only been a few hours since she started the test comparing his DNA to the kids.

"McGee?"

"Still haven't been able to identify the birth mother yet. I have a program running through the courts regarding name changes, but since I don't know if she filed it right after their birth or if it was done more recently, it's a lot of data to look through. And since I'm not sure when she started the process, there is a possibility that it hasn't made it into the court system yet, she might've just recently contacted a lawyer."

"Any good news?" he asked, starting to pace the length of Abby's lab when neither had a response.

"You know a watched Major Mass Spec doesn't beep," Abby informed him.

Gibbs just glared and continued pacing.

"Boss, it's okay,"

"How can it be okay? I'm old enough to be their grandfather, plus there's the fact that I don't even remember seeing anyone during that time frame," Gibbs snapped, in a rare show of emotion and loss of control. "I don't know if I can do this," he quietly admitted, taking a seat on the stool by Tim.

Abby's jaw dropped in shock. She's known Gibbs longer than anyone, except Ducky and the Director, but she's never heard him be so open with his thoughts and feelings before or sound so…hopeless…doubtful…insecure…negative. She wasn't sure which word was more accurate, but they all seemed to fit. And she hated that.

Just as she opened her mouth to remind him to have happy, positive thoughts, Tim spoke up.

"Boss, it _will_ be all right," he assured the older man.

"If the test is positive," he began, glaring at Abby, when she tried to correct his terminology, "We will help you figure out how it happened, when, with who, and why you have no memory of it.

"And like I-we told Tony, you won't have to do this alone. Every single one of us will help you, including those who don't know yet.

"Yes, it will be tough and challenging. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, as well, but Abby and I know you can do this. We also know you will excel at it. All of us look upon you as a father-like figure.

"Those kids would be damn lucky if you were their father."

Silence reigned both in the lab and outside of it after McGee's impromptu speech.

Once more, Tony stood in the hallway, dumbfounded by McGee's words, he had arrived at the lab and stopped before entering, hoping that what he heard would confirm his suspicions about Tim and Abby. Yet it seemed there was a completely different conversation taking place, still personal, but not about the two of them. He couldn't help but grin proudly as he thought about what was just said. It looked like Probie was growing up. Tony knew he couldn't have said it better himself, just like he knew there was nothing he could add, especially since he wasn't sure why Gibbs needed to hear those words.

With a nod to himself, he walked to the stairwell ready to head back to the bullpen. As McGee stated at the beginning of the week, if it involved him, they would let him know.

"The results won't be ready for a while," Tim reminded his boss. "The way I see it, you have four options right now, five if you want to overreact without knowing the results. One, you can go home, try to relax and fail and drive yourself crazy thinking about the possibilities; Two, go upstairs, _try_ to get some work done; Three, stay here and drive Abby to finally follow through on her promise of killing and leaving no forensic evidence; or Four, come with me to the daycare center and do something productive by helping to take care of the twins."

"What's five?"

"Go out and get drunk," Tim replied dryly. "Which really wouldn't accomplish much, except make you that much harder to track down once we do have the results. It could also make you not care about the results at that time as well."

"I vote for number 4," Abby advised softly.

"Me, too," Tim added.

Gibbs looked the two, before sighing and giving in. "Fine, we'll do that," he agreed. "I have to make a stop first."

McGee nodded, he had a few things he needed to finish up as well, "Meet you there?" he asked the older man, receiving a nod in reply.

Abby gave him a hug, "I'll be by in a bit."

Gibbs looked at the machine running the DNA tests before looking back at Abby, "What about-"

"I told you, a watched Major Mass Spec"

"Doesn't beep," They all concluded in unison.

Abby grinned, before turning serious for a moment, "It will be a while. I will come back and check on them later, after I get my snuggles in."

"Okay," he said before exiting the lab, leaving the two alone.

"Take care of him, Timmy, I suspect it's going to be a long night."

"He'll be fine," Tim comforted. "I think it's just the not knowing that's getting to him. If he knows he is, well, he'll deal with it and as I said, he'll be great and he won't be alone. If he's not, well, again he'll deal. I think there'll even be a small mourning period about what could've been before he refocuses on the case, determined to discover who the father is."

"You think he's not?"

"He's confident he's not. Yes it could happen without him remembering, especially with the memory issues he had earlier this year. Still, he's been steadfast in his beliefs. Major Mass Spec will have to tell us for sure."

Abby lovingly patted the Major, "Don't let us down now, baby," she pleaded.

* * *

6-30-18


	22. Professional Opinion (DC22)

Not beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

"What brings you down to these hallowed halls today, Jethro?" Ducky asked without turning around as the autopsy doors opened.

Gibbs knew Ducky had his own way of knowing who was there, so he didn't bother asking how he knew, just entered the room and started pacing.

"Jethro, I might have known who was there without turning around, but I cannot help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," the older man stated softly when his friend remained silent.

Gibbs just continued pacing.

"Are you ill? In physical pain? Hurt in any way?" Ducky asked, hoping to gain an insight.

"I thought my memory was fully intact," he finally commented. "That there was nothing else that I had forgotten or missed. Is it possible for me to still be missing hours or even days?"

"Come, take a seat," the medical examiner directed. "Are you experiencing any symptoms? Headaches? Dizziness? Nausea?"

Gibbs shook his head.

"Are you having flashes of memories that you don't recognize?"

Another negative shake of the head.

"Hmm," the doctor pondered, "You mentioned missing days or hours, what time period do you think you are missing memories from?"

"About a year before the coma, the second one," the patient clarified.

Ducky stilled for a moment, "Around the time of Caitlyn's death?" he finally asked, noticing the flinch at the deceased agent's name followed by a nod of confirmation.

"Yes, well, that was a highly stressful and emotional time for all of us. It is only natural that when you woke you might have pushed those memories farther back. Most likely you would've preferred to forget everything regarding that time, but couldn't. The fact that Caitlyn was no longer with us, was a daily reminder that something happened. I am not surprised that only now you realize that additional periods from that time might be absent from your memory."

Gibbs groaned, "Is there a way to tell for sure?"

"Unfortunately, no," Ducky responded. "It is not until lost memories are regained that you realized that they were indeed lost. The mind is truly a complex thing. While it holds all these memories for us, it does not do so like a photo album. In a photo album, when a picture is missing, it is clear to see the empty spot left in its place, making it obvious that something was once there. I would say the mind is more lik-"

"Ducky," Gibbs said, stopping the older man's simile, and causing him to scrutinize his patient closer. Gibbs gave no indication that he was leaving the room. In fact, the majority of the time, if the field agent didn't want to hear what Ducky was saying, he would just exit the room, leaving the older man to continue on, not knowing that he was alone. The fact that he remained in autopsy showed that he was deeply troubled. The question was what was bothering his old friend?

"Does this have something to do with our two newest and littlest guests?" he asked. "Well, not my guests, but NCIS's. Obviously we wouldn't keep healthy, living children here. Not that we would keep-"

"Duck," he said, once again stopping the medical examiner, the two staying silent.

"McGee found the twins hospital records," he finally explained.

"Oh my," he stated, taken aback. "Timothy knows?" he stated in surprise before adding, "I thought you called the local hospitals."

"We did, he did it his way," Gibbs explained, nodding towards the computer on the desk in the corner.

"Oh, yes, of course," Ducky said, nodding in understanding. Though he still wasn't sure why that lead to Jethro believing he was missing some memories. "OH!"

Gibbs nodded when he realized the conclusion the medical examiner had come to. "Yep, their last name is Gibbs," he confirmed.

"They are darling children," Ducky offered. "You would be a lucky man to have such a beautiful family."

"I know," Gibbs nodded. He knew and even agreed with that sentiment. The main issue he had regarding this scenario, other than the fact that it was hidden from him for 18 months, was surprisingly, not the memories it invoked of his first wife and daughter, but rather the fact that he couldn't remember a relationship with anyone that resulted in this possible family.

"Do let me know if you need anything," Ducky offered.

"I will," he said as he stood up, "I have it on good authority that I won't be alone. The team will help and support me."

"I do hope that I was included in that."

"You were," Gibbs confirmed.

Ducky nodded as he watched the younger man head towards the door. "Abby?" he asked, guessing at the source of the offer.

Gibbs shook his head and grinned, knowing his friend couldn't see it, "Nope, McGee."

Ducky's eyebrows lifted in surprise, "My, my. Young Timothy is full of surprises."

* * *

"Seriously, Abby, you want to go out in this?"

Tim and Gibbs have been at the day care center for a few hours now. They mostly spent the time in comfortable silence, though they did partake in a few conversations. Over an hour ago, Abby joined them, carrying pizza for dinner for the three adults. They had taken turns holding, feeding, burping, changing, and in some cases, cuddling the infants. Within the last twenty minutes, a severe thunder and lightning storm came into the area. While they hadn't lost power, the lights had flickered, causing Abby to worry about her equipment in the lab. She was determined to go there and check on her babies. While the results still wouldn't be ready for a few hours, she wanted to make sure that no glitches developed due to the storm or power surges.

"I don't _want_ to, I _need_ to," she corrected, before arguing, "Look, I'll only be gone five minutes."

Tim snorted skeptically, "It'll take you at least five minutes just to get there. Add another five minutes to check on the equipment and then another five minutes to get back here. And that's if everything goes well and is okay. Right now, there's heavy rain, strong winds, and lightning."

"I'll be fine."

"And I say it can wait."

"Timmy," she pleaded softly, glancing briefly at Gibbs, "We need those results. I don't want to drag this out more than necessary."

"I know and understand, but I don't want you to get hurt either."

"It's early enough that a lot of people are still on the yard. I'll be fine walking over. If you want, I'll talk to you on my cell the entire way over."

Tim groaned, knowing he was about to give in, "You're right a lot of people are still here; better to do this now than when the yard's practically deserted. Fine, go, but do _not_ use your phone until you're inside, do not even take it out, that lightning is wild. Call me, us, the minute you get inside the building, _not the lab_ ," Tim stressed, repeating, "the building."

Abby rolled her eyes, "Okay, dad, I promise I'll be back by curfew," she muttered, causing Gibbs to grin, even though it was hidden from the two youngsters, four if you counted the twins.

Abby grinned as she placed Kay in Gibbs' arms, grabbed her coat and prepared to leave. "Maybe I'll bring you back some Nutter Butters," she teased as she exited the room

"Just go…and don't forget to call," he shouted after her.

The two men remained silent for a few moments.

"It could've waited."

"I know boss, and if it was really dangerous out there, I could've talked her out of it. But even without your testing being done, Abby would want to go and check up on her babies," Tim remarked, causing them to exchange grins, both knowing Abby pretty well. "I remember one time we were at the movies, halfway through she said she got a shiver up her left hand. She was convinced there was a problem at the lab. Nothing I said or did could prevent her from wanting to get up and leave. We left the theatre, and I was finally able to talk her into just calling to check on things. Turns out she was right, there was a problem, luckily it was an easy fix and she didn't have to go down there, but," Tim trailed off before giving a shrug, "That's Abby, you just gotta love her for it."

"Ya know," Gibbs said a moment later, "Tony was asking me if I knew what the two of you have been up to the last few days."

"Me and Tony?" Tim frowned in confusion, "I-"

"No, you and Abby," Gibbs corrected.

"Oh," Tim fell silent.

Gibbs nodded as he continued to rock Kay in his arms. "Yeah, kept talking about rules."

"I'm gonna kill him," Tim groaned. "He's convinced that Abby and I are dating again and that it's serious."

"Are you?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"As Abby said, 'I think we'll be the first to know'."

Gibbs chuckled as he looked at his young agent, "Kinda funny that even came up."

Tim blushed, but didn't say a word.

"So what makes Tony think that?"

"The amount of time Abby and I have spent together since Monday night."

"If you were serious it would mean you guys being together long before Monday night."

Tim shrugged, "He admitted he thought we got together when you were in Mexico."

Gibbs nodded, deciding not to ask a question he didn't want the answer to.

Tim frowned as he continued, "Apparently, he also knew we were together Tuesday night; napped on the futon together Wednesday; and have had 'private conversations'."

Gibbs frowned as well, "He's tracking you?"

The younger agent shrugged, "I don't know, don't think so, but I might do that to him."

"McGee."

"Not physically," Tim hastened to explain, "But perhaps electronically. At least be informed when he, or rather his phone, is in close proximity to mine."

Gibbs jaw dropped briefly and his eyes narrowed. "You can do that? Phones can do that?"

"Yeah, well, phones normally can't do that, but mine could. All I would have to do is create an app and link it to Tony's phone."

"Would you?"

"Perhaps. I don't know how he knows," Tim admitted, "Abby's worried too."

"I see," he said only to stop when his phone rang. "Gibbs…okay…let me know what you find," he said before hanging up.

"Abby?" Tim asked.

"Yep," the two grinned and exchanged looks.

"At least she called," Tim offered, not surprised that she called the older agent instead of him. It was Abby's way of rebelling without causing them to worry.

"She's good. Cold and wet, but good. She was heading to the lab to check on her babies."

Tim nodded and stood up. "I'm gonna give my arms a rest for a bit and put Todd down on the floor to play."

"Good idea, I'll do the same with Kay. It'll give me a chance to drink my coffee."

The three had decided to refer to Todd by his birth name and to continue to call Katelyn 'Kay' to prevent anyone from connecting the twins to the MCRT, at least while paternity was still undetermined.

"I wonder if Tony is still there?"

"Is there a reason why he should be?" Gibbs asked. "I would've expected him to head out as soon as I left."

"Yeah, that's something Tony would normally do, especially when working cold cases," Tim snorted. "Last I knew he was checking on something regarding one of those cases. He looked pretty involved when I left."

"Hmm," Gibbs hummed as he pulled out his phone, pressed a few buttons and started talking. "Anything hot?...Go check on Abby, she was worried about her machines because of the storm and power surges," he ordered and explained before hanging up.

"You know if Abby ever heard that you referred to them as machines she'll lecture you," Tim offered to a smirking Gibbs. "And heaven help you if you did it within her or her babies hearing," he laughed.

Gibbs' comment "One of a kind our Abby," had Tim smiling.

"Gibbs," the older man said as he answered his ringing phone, "Uh-huh…What does she need?...Okay….tell her not to worry…It's fine…I'll be fine," he said, hanging up the phone.

"Abby needs your help, head on over to the lab."

"All right. Everything okay?" Tim asked as he grabbed his coat. "You need another coffee before I go?"

"I was speaking to Tony, he's knows as much about the machines as I do, so I don't have any information for you, and I'm good."

"Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can."

Gibbs just nodded and took another sip of his coffee as he watched the twins play.

* * *

It's kinda funny that some of the comments you guys are making in reviews are things I have going on in another (yet to be posted) story...

7-1-18


	23. Major Meltdown (DC23)

Not Beta'd; Don't own characters, not making any money off of this.

* * *

"Hey, Abs, I'm here. What's up?" Tim asked as he entered the lab to see Abby inspecting the Major and Tony watching.

"Major Mass Spec had a major meltdown."

"How major we talking about?" a worried Tim asked. "Do we need to place an emergency call for repairs?"

Tony's eyebrows lifted at that. Emergency repairs? After hours on a stormy night? Something major, er, important must be going on if the agency was willing to shell out that kind of dough.

"No, no, no," Abby denied, "Not that bad. Would I be this calm if it was that bad?" she retorted. "The storm caused some power surges, which interrupted the testing. We need to clean, disinfect and inspect the Major, and confirm that the samples weren't contaminated and that the Major is in proper working order before restarting it."

Tim groaned, "Of all the tests for this to happen on."

Tony frowned, "What's so important about this test?" he asked, causing Tim and Abby to stare at each other for a moment.

"New possible lead," Tim finally answered when it became obvious that Abby wasn't going to. "Can't say anything else until the testing is finished and the results are in."

Tony's eyes narrowed as he watched the two.

Tim sighed as he removed his coat and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. "You take care of the samples; I'll handle the Major."

Abby grinned for a moment, "If you can handle an Admiral, you can handle a Major," she joked, nodding in agreement before offering, "I have one of your old t-shirts in my office if you want to change."

"Thanks, I think I will," he stated as he started unbuttoning his shirt and heading to her office. He returned a few moments later wearing an MIT shirt.

Once more Tony watched them closely. Why was one of Tim's old shirts in Abby's office? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he decided to focus on more important matters. "So, Probie, where were you?" he asked, still observing the so-called best friends. "You got here extremely fast for someone who left work a few hours ago."

"I was over at the daycare center," Tim admitted absently, as he began a thorough inspection of the equipment in front of him.

"By yourself? Why?"

"No, not by myself."

"I was there too," Abby admitted, "Before I left to check on the testing and my babies."

"Playing house again?" he smirked, "Are you sure you two aren't together."

"No," Abby replied.

"Yes," Tim answered, consecutively.

Tony snorted, "Not only are you two _not_ in unison, but you are totally out of sync. You gave different answers."

Tim frowned and explained, "No, we weren't playing house."

"And yes, we're sure we aren't together," Abby clarified.

Tony groaned, they had each answered a different question and then expanded on the other's response, so much for not being in sync. "So why at the daycare center?"

"We volunteered to watch the twins tonight."

"All night?" Tony squeaked, receiving nods of confirmation. "Yet you're not playing house?" he snarked, shaking his head and continuing before the two could talk. "So you left the kids alone," he accused the younger agent.

"Of course not," Tim snapped. "Gibbs is with them."

"Gibbs," Tony repeated. "Alone?"

Tim frowned, "He's with the twins."

"And that's a good thing?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Abby asked, ready to defend one of her favorite people.

"He's probably the most experienced out of all of us when it comes to childcare," Tim reminded them.

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of."

"Huh?" Abby and Tim asked simultaneously.

"He has the experience because of his daughter…The one that died 15 years ago…The one he never told us about…The one that he has avoided talking and thinking about for almost 20 years…The one he still doesn't mention even though he knows that we know. I don't think it's good that he's reliving all that. You guys do remember what happened last time he remembered their deaths, don't you?"

Abby opened her mouth to respond, but Tim's hand squeezing her leg let her know that he would provide Tony with an answer. Tony's eyes narrowed as he caught their silent form of communication.

"Yes, he has avoided talking about Kelly and Shannon since they died, but that doesn't mean that he's avoided thinking about them. When a close family member dies, parent, sibling, spouse, child, you think about them practically everyday, how can you not?

"Last time, it was as if it had happened for the first time, since he did not remember it. It was new to him then. He was alone, dealing with that and everything else. This time, we know and we will be there for him, whatever it takes, whatever he needs.

"Plus, he's known about the twins since Sunday night. He was the first person the director called. Every time he disappeared from the bullpen this week and he wasn't in the director's office or this lab, where do you think he was?

"That's right, at the center, checking on them. Oh, he might tell you that he was there gathering evidence," Tim smiled fondly, "But there was only so many times that could've been true."

"Once," Abby laughed. "After the first bath, or change of clothes, nothing remained unless he was getting DNA or blood samples for me."

"And you were over there or brought them back here with you often enough to obtain those samples yourself," Tim smirked, causing Abby to stick out her tongue at him before refocusing on the material in front of her and testing that needed to be done once Major Mass Spec was ready.

Tony remained silent while his friends responded to his inquiry and as they teased one another. "And you're sure he's okay?"

Abby and Tim hesitated momentarily as they both thought about the interrupted testing. Nodding, Tim finally said, "Yeah, anxious about this situation and wanting to unite father and children, but he's fine."

"Hmm," Tony hummed in lieu of a response. "Well, I'd best get back to work so I can get out of here."

"Okay," Tim acknowledged as he too refocused on the task at hand. "Night."

"Night, Tony," Abby echoed, before leaning over to check on McGee. "What's left to check, Timmy? We ready to restart the testing?"

"We can't salvage it?" he asked disappointed.

"I don't think we should risk it. We need this to be solid…more solid than solid," she replied.

Tony left as Tim sighed and started to respond. What was he going to do about those two?

* * *

Tony hesitated outside the door to the nursery at the Naval Yard Daycare Center. It was easy to locate the room where the twins where in, but much harder to gain access. The only reason he was able to make it this far was because of the reputation of the man inside.

The security guard knew who Gibbs was and knew the members of his team. When Tony said he needed to talk to the older man regarding a case, he had to show his driver's license, his NCIS picture ID card, and his badge. The way the guard was eyeing his gun, Tony half expected the man to tell him to leave it behind. Finally he was waved through and given directions.

As he looked through the window on the door, he could see his boss inside, one of the twins cradled in his arms as he seemingly rocked the baby back to sleep, the other laying on the floor in front of him. Even from this distance the older man looked troubled, anxious. Tony had a feeling that neither of his teammates or Abby would be getting much rest tonight.

"Hey, Boss, heard I'd find you here," he said as he opened he door and entered.

"Hm-hmm," Gibbs acknowledged him with a nod.

"You good? Need anything?"

"Two questions, one answer," Gibbs responded cryptically.

"Huh?" came the bewildered response from Tony.

"I'm good, would be better if I knew for sure who the father of these two is. All I need is to know that information."

Gibbs surprised himself by realizing that what he said was true. While he would still wonder about the how and who, if he _was_ the father, he now knew, thanks to McGee and Abby, that it would be all right.

"For sure?" Tony repeated, "Right, Abby and Tim mentioned a possible lead."

Gibbs snorted, "Definitely a lead. McGee found hospital records for the kids, including names."

"Oh…OH!" Tony's eyes widened. "Way to go, Probie."

Tony looked at the kids on the floor, wondering about their names and who had jumped into the #1 slot on the candidate for fatherhood list.

"So, who's that?" Tony asked, nodding is head to indicate the baby in Gibbs' arms.

"Todd."

"Huh, don't recall any staff named Todd. Course, I'm not in HR, I assume you're checking."

"Avenues are being pursued."

Tony nodded at the response, even though it technically didn't answer the question or provide any information. "And her name?" Tony asked.

"Kay."

Eyebrows rose, "Wow, maybe Probie _is_ psychic, or just lucky. Of course, even a stopped clock is right once a day," Tony stated, causing his boss to smirk in amusement. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah," Gibbs responded as he stood up and transferred Todd to his arms, "Hold him and watch Kay while I get another coffee."

"Er, Boss? Boss?" Tony quietly asked, not wanting to startle the baby. "What do I do?"

"Talk to him," Gibbs called from the doorway, "Soothing tones."

Tony stood their awkwardly a moment, before deciding the best course of action would be to sit down, just in case something happened. Slowly, he started talking, trying to keep his voice soft and gentle.

When Gibbs returned he watched his agent and the baby from the doorway. Tony had been hesitant at first, before he began to stammer through various sport stories. After a few minutes had passed, the confident man he knew was back, even if he was out of his element.

"Not too bad, DiNozzo, he hasn't started screaming yet. Though I'm not sure he's interested in hearing about your glory days from Ohio State."

"Hey, you're never too young to learn about sports, or in McGee's case, it's never too late."

The older man smirked, as he took a sip of his coffee before settling in the chair next to Tony.

"You know, this really isn't that hard." An eyebrow lifted in doubt. "No, seriously," Tony continued. "If the father isn't known by tomorrow, maybe I'll volunteer to watch them overnight. After all, if McGee can do it, I'm sure I can."

Gibbs smiled, hiding it behind his coffee cup. How like the younger man to compete with his teammate, trying to outdo him in anything not 'geek' related. And for him to think that less then ten minutes alone with a quiet infant would indicate how overnight detail might go. "Might be a good experience for you," he finally responded.

Tony's eyes narrowed suspiciously, both at his hesitation and at his words. "Why? What do you know?"

He just smirked and took a sip of his coffee.

"Seriously what about this case, do you know that I don't?

"Oh, god, this new lead…Is it me?" A panicked Tony inquired. "I noticed you didn't give me their middle names. Does the A in their names stand for Antonia, Antoinette, or Anthony?

"Is that why McGee and Abby were so anxious in the lab? Why they were so secretive regarding the test they were running. I noticed the looks the two were exchanging, how little they were saying. I just thought…" Tony trailed off as he asked the question that was in the back of his mind, "Were they running my DNA against the kids?

"Oh god," he repeated, arms tightening around the infant he held, causing Todd to squirm, "You might want to take him before I faint."

"Tony, stop. We wouldn't run your DNA without telling you first. I wouldn't do that to anyone on my team."

"Oh, thank god…um, you can still take him if you want."

"Nah, like I said, it's a good experience for you. Though you might want to loosen your grip a little, Abby will kill you if you leave bruises on him."

Tony snorted and did as suggested, the baby relaxed as well and snuggled into him. "So why is this a good experience for me then?"

"Someday things might change. You might or might not be their father, but someday you could be someone's. Or someday, someone close to you might have a child. What are you going to do, pretend the child doesn't exist?"

"Only until they can talk sports," Tony joked, receiving a light head slap in reply. "Geesh, why is this so important to you?" he asked, not thanking Gibbs for the corrective head slap. "The only people I'm really close to is the team and Ab-" Tony stopped in midsentence.

"Oh my God," he exclaimed. "I _was_ right."

"Tony, I told you-"

"No, no, no, not that," he interrupted. "The other day I suspected that Abs was pregnant and McGee was the father. He denied that they were together, but come on. I told you they were up to something. What I didn't tell you about was them napping on the futon together, secretive conversations, always together, baby talk, spending the night together and not getting much sleep. What other explanation is there? I was right, Abby is pregnant and McGee's the McDaddy," Tony grinned in triumph.

After Gibbs recovered from his shock, he slapped the man next to him again. "Did you share this with anyone else?"

"What? No! At least, not the baby part. I warned Abby not to break his heart again, and told McGee to just 'fess up, that they were obviously together and to take the consequences of Rule 12 like a man. They wouldn't be able to hide it much longer, not with a baby on the way. Of course, Tim still denied it. For a moment I did think that someone else was the father of Abby's baby, but we hadn't heard anything about a new boyfriend from her."

Gibbs shook his head, "They spent Tuesday night here. Todd was sick, Abby was with him, alone, got worried, wanted help and called McGee, who was the emergency contact that night. He was up all night with Todd, Abby was up for most of it. I sent McGee to sleep on the futon and suggested Abby get some rest as well, in between tests. They spent time together working on this case, which involved 'babies'. No doubt why they were discussing the subject."

"Oh…you sure boss?" Tony asked, not wanting to let the idea go, "Right," he said, after looking at the older man. "What about the two always being in unison? In sync with one another?"

"They are best friends, and know each other well."

Tony frowned, "Still think there's something going on, even if it's not a baby," he added before dropping the subject. The two remained quiet, just sitting and thinking before Gibbs finally ordered the younger man home to rest. After all, Gibbs reminded the younger man, he'll need to be in top form tomorrow night if the father isn't identified.

* * *

next chapter, Major Mass Spec beeps :)

7-5-18


	24. Beep, Beep (DC24)

Not Beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

None of the adults were comfortable sitting around the day care watching the children sleep. Sure, they could've napped on the beds that were provided, but with so many questions remaining without answers, it seemed futile to even try.

A few minutes after ten, the trio had packed up the twins and headed back to what Tim teasingly referred to as the twins' second home, Abby's office. After settling the twins down, Tim and Abby alternated working and napping while Gibbs retreated upstairs, occasionally coming downstairs to check in on everyone.

For the last hour, both Tim and Abby were awake and working as they awaited the results from Major Mass Spec, trying very hard not to focus on the equipment since Abby was convinced that a watched Major Mass Spec doesn't beep.

Beep. Beep.

Tim's head jolted up at that sound, his gaze automatically looking at the source.

Beep. Beep. It repeated. Yet Abby remained motionless, watching the door.

"Abby? Major Mass Spec is finished."

No response from the scientist. Tim frowned. If Abby wasn't in the lab, he would retrieve the data and begin sterilizing the equipment for the next test, but to do that with Abby right next to him, even if she was unresponsive, was suicidal.

"Abby, the test is done."

Still no movement.

"Abs," Tim began again, getting up to check on her.

"I know, I heard the beep. I'm just waiting for Gibbs to come down."

"You're not going to look?"

"I can't," she admitted.

"Abs,"

"I know," she cried. "I know that me looking or not doesn't change the results, but I still can't look because I don't know what I want to see. I know what Gibbs believes he wants, but I'm not sure if that is what's best for everyone.

"If he's not the father, well, it's really sad. He seems to be enjoying the time with the twins, playing protective guardian, caring for them. If he's not the father, that means someone else is. Someone who hasn't really spent time with them, probably never held them, or comforted them, perhaps hasn't even seen them.

"Gibbs would be so good for them and they would be good for him, _has_ been so good for him. It's almost like…well, like he's _feeling_ again. Look at what has changed this week, your relationship alone with him has evolved drastically. I just don't want us to lose that, lose him."

"You won't," Tim injected, correcting himself, " _We_ wont. Most likely the twins have some connection to the MCRT. You just need to hear their names to know that. And if that's true, you know that they will still be a part of his life, our lives."

"Katelyn Abigail," Abby whispered, a small smile gracing her lips as she stated their shared name.

"Todd Anthony," Tim supplied. "Rule 39."

Abby looked at him, the smile on her face disappearing, "You think Tony's the father if Gibbs isn't?"

Tim shrugged, not willing to speculate, "Possibly."

"Most likely," Abby answered her own question. "Do you think he's ready?"

"At least we know he's held them,"

"One of them," Abby corrected, "And only because you forced it on him," she added. "Seriously, though," she said, staring at him for an answer to her question.

Tim shrugged again, not wanting to speculate. "It might not be a matter of if he's ready. Just remember that regardless of who the father is, we'll help and support the new family any way we can. After all, it's still our family."

"Right," she said nodding in agreement, her smile once more gracing her face. "Okay. I think I'm ready to look now," she said as her gaze fell on Major Mass Spec. "No, I know I'm ready," she corrected as she walked over to her baby printed the results.

"Well?"

No verbal answer was given, but Tim was able to read the truth on her face.

"We have to tell him," Tim said softly.

"Tell who what?" Gibbs asked as he entered the lab, his gazing alternating between Abby and McGee, until he noticed the paper in Abby's hand.

"Is that…" he trailed off, not able or willing to say more.

"It is," Abby confirmed.

Gibbs sucked in a deep breath at the confirmation before slowly releasing it. "Okay…go."

"Gibbs,"

"It's okay," he said, holding up a hand to ward off any speeches. "Just tell me."

"They're not yours," Abby spoke softly.

"Not?"

"Not," Tim confirmed.

Another deep breath, "Well, that's not a complete surprise," he said. "But it does mean that we still have lots of work to do."

"Okay, then. Next step?" Tim asked, glancing at his boss.

"Run DiNozzo's DNA as soon as you can get it from him."

"I already have it," Abby admitted. "Once we learned the kids' names, I got samples from all three of you and Jimmy."

Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment as he came to a decision. Opening his eyes, he continued, "Okay, start running it, I don't want to waste any time. Not a word to DiNozzo," he ordered, glaring at them. "I'll speak to him as soon as he comes in."

"Yes, Boss," the two agreed.

With a nod, he looked to Tim, "If Tony's not the father, we'll run your DNA, then Palmer's. I'm letting you know now so that this situation doesn't happen again. I don't want to run it without you being aware of that fact. The only reason why I'm going ahead with Tony's is because I'll be able to talk with him before the test is done."

"I understand, boss, and agree with you."

Gibbs nodded as he left the room, without saying another word. The two remaining in the lab just looked at each other.

"Think he's going to update the director?"

"At 0430?" Tim questioned skeptically. "He's probably going to get a coffee and take a walk to come to grips with what he now knows is the truth. Once he gets it all sorted out in his head, then he'll update the Director…and Tony."

"I still think it's sad," Abby commiserated, turning to prepare the next test batch.

* * *

"Told you so," Gibbs said as he entered the Director's office without knocking, making sure to shut the door behind him.

"What were you right about now?"

"I'm not their father, it's there in black and white," he said, slapping the test printout on her desk.

"The last name," she began.

"Looks like McGee's theory holds water," was all the field agent said.

She looked over the sheet. According to the results, there was less than a 25 percent chance he was the father.

"Are you all right with the results?"

"All right or not, it is what it is."

"Jethro-"

"Jenny, it's fine," Gibbs interrupted. "Besides, you said yourself that those kids have ties to the MCRT. They may not be _my_ kids, and I'm okay with that, but they will probably still be part of my life."

Jenny smiled, "Of course they will, you still share a last name."

"Yeah, and don't think I won't get to the bottom of _that_ ," he snapped. "It caused a lot of trouble."

The Director smiled, "So, what's the next step?"

"We're running Tony's DNA against the kids."

"We probably should've ran his first," Jenny joked, "Even with the monogrammed blankets."

"Don't send him out on paternity leave just yet," Gibbs retorted.

"Seriously, Jethro? You did read the notes on the interview Ms. Sciuto and Agent McGee conducted, didn't you?"

"Glanced at them, right after the interview occurred," he admitted, "And I agree he's a strong candidate, but until paternity is confirmed, nothing _happens_. After all, where would we be if you had gone forward yesterday after we found out the kids' names?"

"Very well," she agreed nodding, the closest she'll get to apologizing. "Let me know as soon as it is concluded."

"The tests takes about 10 hours."

"That will put a cramp in his weekend," she commented.

Gibbs shrugged, "He already offered to stay with the twins tonight if the father isn't identified."

"You think he might not be?" Jenny asked. "If Agent DiNozzo is not conclusively the father, what is the next step?"

"We run McGee's and Palmer's DNA to check for a match."

"McGee and Palmer? Seriously?"

"Unlikely, I know, but we can't leave them out, especially with the ties to MCRT," he admitted. "After that, McGee and Abby will have to continue sorting through the survey's, unless Tim uncovers more information regarding the twins and their mother."

The Director nodded, "Very well. Let me know if you need anything."

"Will do, Jen, will do," he finished before exiting her office.

* * *

Well, there you have it. Gibbs is officially _not_ the father...does make you wonder about the last name, though...

hope you enjoyed it (feel free to review and let me know what you think).

7-9-18


	25. Introducing (DC25)

Not beta'd; I do not own NCIS or any of the characters, nor is any profit being made from this.

* * *

"Good morning, everyone," Tony called out merrily as he entered the bullpen, only to soon realize that no one else was there. Tony sighed, he knew he was in early, but he woke up hours before his alarm triggered with his gut churning and could not go back to sleep. Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he decided he might as well go into work to see what was happening with the unofficial case.

He missed the days when he would enter, Ziva and Tim would be at their desks, preparing for the possibly grueling day ahead. Sometimes, Gibbs would be at his desk, checking on if he was late, while other days he would be getting a second or perhaps third cup of coffee.

Looked like another day of cold cases for him, he thought with a sigh, before making his way over to his desk. He quickly put down his bag and coffee and started to remove his coat.

"DiNozzo, with me," Gibbs spoke to the younger man as he entered the bullpen, coffee cup in hand. "Keep the coat, lose the coffee."

"But-"

"Now, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, as he stopped outside the elevator.

After meeting with Jenny, Gibbs had spent the last hour thinking about the best way to explain recent developments to Tony. He finally decided that McGee's way would work. After all, it did with him and the director, why try to reinvent the wheel? He'll introduce the younger agent to the kids, giving their full names, as he knew them, and let Tony derive his own conclusions. He had informed McGee and Abby to have the kids back at the daycare at 0530, when staff started arriving.

"Boss?" Tony asked after the two entered the elevator and the older man's hand didn't reach for the emergency switch. "If this is about my speculation about Probie and Abby…"

"It's not."

"Oh…Is it about Abby's pregnancy then?" he asked, only to receive a glare in return, "Okay, not that, then," he said as the elevator doors opened.

"We'll discuss that later," Gibbs said.

"Looking forward to it, Boss," Tony muttered as he walked behind the older man out of the building. He was quiet for a few moments as he thought about what could've happened during the night. "I swear, I thought I removed all the booby traps from Probie's desk. I promise I'll do another pass through to see if I missed any others. And I won't put superglue on anything else," he offered.

Gibbs didn't say a word, but turned and looked at Tony.

At the sudden stop, Tony looked up and finally noticed where they were. The daycare center, "Boss?" he squeaked. Oh God, they ran his DNA after all.

"Thought I'd introduce you to someone."

"Oh…OH!" Tony smiled in relief. The lead Abby and McGee mentioned must've panned out and they identified the father. It was nice to know that he was in the clear, just in time to celebrate this weekend, he realized, as they entered the building and headed to the nursery.

Tony looked around, but didn't see anyone there but the twins and the day care staff. "Boss?" he asked again.

Picking up Kay, he placed her in Tony's arms. "This is Katelyn Abigail Gibbs."

"Cait-whoa…wait a minute, _Gibbs_?"

The supervisory agent nodded, "That's the name on the hospital record."

"Whoa…so you're" he began only to be silenced by his boss's glare.

Holding, Todd, the older man, said, "This young man is Todd Anthony Gibbs."

Tony nodded, not shocked by the last name this time, and pleasantly surprised that his boss's son was named after him.

"Abby ran my DNA against theirs last night."

Tony nodded, everything was now making sense. What he mistook for Abby and McGee keeping secrets was actually the two of them protecting Gibbs until the evidence was confirmed. No wonder they were upset that the major had a meltdown during that test.

"They're not mine."

"Huh?" Tony's head whipped up to meet his bosses gaze. That is not what he was expecting. "What?"

"They're not mine," he repeated.

"Oh…but…the name," he protested weakly.

"The last name through us for a loop," he admitted.

Tony reviewed everything that had happen this morning since he arrived at work before he attempted to speak. The trip to the daycare center, learning the kids' names, Gibbs _not_ being the father, Tony's comment regarding the name, Gibbs admission that the last name confused them. Last name, Tony thought. Gibbs specified that the last name through them for a loop.

"Todd Anthony," he finally whispered. If it wasn't his boss's kid that was named after him, then could it be his own. "Oh, God, his middle name is Anthony. After me," he stated, receiving a tilt of the head in reply. He looked at the child in his arms. "You might want to take Kay, I really might faint," he announced.

"Katelyn," Gibbs corrected the name as he put Todd back down and gathered Katelyn in his arms.

"Katelyn," Tony repeated, freezing as their names finally registered. "Katelyn, Todd?"

Gibbs just met his gaze, willing him to put the pieces together.

"Abigail, Anthony. Our old team, those closest to you."

Gibbs nodded, before reminding Tony, "Not mine."

"I…conceived right before Kate's death…or possibly right after, since you guys said twins are often born early…definitely born after Kate's…Oh god," he muttered, as he began pacing the room.

"I really don't know how I'm going to track everyone down. I tried to follow up with some yesterday, but most just hung up on me," he admitted.

Gibbs remained silent as he allowed his agent to work through the situation.

After a few additional moments of pacing and mumbling to himself, Tony stopped and turned to face his boss.

"You think I'm the father." Tony stated non-accusingly. After all, he was well aware of the reputation he developed over the years. The fact that he admitted he was wild and out of control eighteen months ago didn't help.

"I know it's a possibility," Gibbs admitted. "And I wanted to let you know that Abby began running your DNA against the kids."

Tony slowly breathed out, "When…when will we know?" he croaked.

"She started it early this morning, should around 1500."

Tony gave a mocking laugh, "Yeah, well, I hope you're not expecting a lot out of me today. I don't think I'm gonna be able to concentrate on cold cases this morning."

Gibbs nodded in understanding, after all, he lived through the experience yesterday and except for the children's last name, there wasn't any reason to suspect him as the father. There was a lot more evidence in favor of Tony as the father than anyone else.

"You're gonna be okay," Gibbs stated, not giving Tony a choice, and receiving a nod from the younger agent in return. "I know it's tough, but try not to dwell on it. Fretting about things won't change the outcome, all it will do is make you sick."

When his words didn't gather a reaction, Gibbs gave his a light smack on the head. "Talk to me. Trust me, I understand. I was there yesterday."

Tony sighed, "I can't say I don't know how this happened, and not just the mechanics of it," he quickly added. "I suppose the real shock is that something like this hasn't come up before.

"It's just going to be so hard. Do you know that I live in an adult only complex? I'll have to move. Kid proof that new place, reorganize my finances. I'll have to go grocery shopping. I doubt restaurants deliver meals for infants. When they get older, I should probably learn to cook something other than spaghetti. I doubt kids would like to eat take out all the time, at least not the restaurants I like to frequent," he clarified. "Even if they did, even if it was just pizza and burgers, that would be expensive, especially for the three of us.

"Oh, god, there's two of them. I'm gonna be responsible for two tiny, little humans. Oh, god, Kay's a girl. Once she reaches the age of 14, no, 12, she's never leaving the house," he muttered.

Gibbs just smirked before interrupting, "Hey, I said not to dwell. Nothing is for sure yet."

Tony snorted, "We're all sure that the father is someone connected to our team. It's not you. If it's not me, who does that leave? Tim? McRespectability and Responsibility himself? Please. Can you honestly tell me that you think he's the father, even if my test shows I'm not a match?"

Gibbs remained silent for a moment, not verbally answering Tony's question. "Nothing is for sure," he reiterated, before continuing. "There'll be plenty of time to figure things out later. You are not alone in this. The entire team will support and help you. If this does happen, I know you can do this, yes, it will be difficult and challenging, but you can do this," he repeated, "And nobody says you have to do it alone."

Tony nodded at his words. His comment of, "You've been listening to McGee," earned him a calculating look before Gibbs decided Tony had enough on his plate. They'll discuss his penchant for eavesdropping later.

* * *

"Jethro?" Ducky called as he entered autopsy and sensed a living body in the room with him.

"No, Ducky, it's me."

"Anthony? What are you doing down here?" the doctor asked as he switched the lights on.

"Just…" Tony sat up and shook his head, "You know, I'm not really sure."

"You might not know _why_ you are here," Ducky admitted, "But you do know what brought you down here." He concluded, continuing when Tony smirked and opened his mouth, "And I'm not talking about your feet or the elevator," he cautioned.

"Used the stairs," Tony muttered, not meeting the older man's gaze. "And I guess I needed a place to think and be alone."

Ducky took a good look at the young agent in front of him, "You know I am available if ever you need to talk."

Tony nodded, "I'm thinking I should have talked about 18 months ago," he admitted.

Ducky nodded, "After Caitlyn," he began, pausing when he noticed a slight flinch at the name, similar to Jethro's. Perhaps the entire team should have talked with someone at that time.

"And the plague," he admitted.

"It's not too late."

Tony snorted in disagreement.

"Anthony?"

"I don't know what to say," he admitted.

"Just say the first thing that comes to mind. Whatever you feel you need to," Ducky advised.

"My initial reaction is to joke and say something like 'Congratulate me, I'm a father."

"But?" Ducky prodded, hiding his surprise at Tony's words, no wonder the boy felt the need to think and be alone.

"But I don't feel like congratulations are in order," he confessed. "If I _am_ their father, my advice is to call child services. Between their mother who abandoned them and me, those kids will need all the help they can get in life."

"You can't seriously mean that," Ducky said, this time not able to hide his shock.

Tony snorted, "Look at the example of fatherhood I had," he pointed out. "Sure, one baby I might be able to handle, especially a boy. Boys, sports, I know, but two? And a girl? They deserve better."

"Then _be_ better," Ducky admonished. "They are young. Right now everyday is like a fresh start. 'Start as you mean to go on,' so to speak. Be the father they deserve. Be the _man_ I know you can be."

Tony have a half smile, "Thanks, Ducky."

"You know I am here if you need anything."

"Thanks," Tony nodded. "The only thing I need is to know for sure, can't do anything until then."

Ducky frowned, "But you said,"

"It is a very high possibility that I'm their father," he admitted. "Abby is running my DNA against theirs now, but given the children's names, it is suspected that their father is connected to the MCRT. Gibbs was ruled out by the DNA testing, the only other likely candidates are McGee and Jimmy, and seriously, what are the odds it's one of them?"

Ducky nodded, seeing his point about McGee and Jimmy being the potential father. However, what he didn't understand was how the children's names were connected to the MCRT, well, other than the last name. He looked at Tony, debating whether it was wise to ask him or if he should contact Jethro. Well, he decided, it wouldn't hurt to ask and if he didn't or couldn't answer, then he would pursue other avenues. "Anthony, you mentioned the children's names…" he hinted.

Tony nodded, so much has happened recently, he could believe that Ducky hadn't been updated on McGee's findings. No doubt, everyone thought someone else had done it. "Yeah, McGee found their birth record, er, no information regarding their parents, which is why we're still performing DNA testing," he explained. "And we're still not sure what the S's in their names stand for, but," Tony took a deep breath, "The girl is Katelyn Abigail Gibbs, her brother is Todd Anthony Gibbs."

"Oh my," Ducky declared, sitting down as he stared at Tony, no wonder both men flinched at the mention of dear Caitlyn. It also explained why Jethro was so strung out yesterday.

"Yeah," Tony sighed as he stood up. "Well, I better go check in with the boss, I've been down here since he told me his results."

"Do let me know either way. And Anthony," Ducky called as the younger man stood before the door, "Regardless of your results, these kids will most likely be a part of your life. Be the man I know you can be for them."

* * *

Ya gotta love Ducky...speaking of him, someone mentioned why I didn't include Ducky when mentioned checking paternity of the kids. While I know men can father children at an advanced age (like Ducky's), he's not included because anyone he had been with was past the age of being able to conceive. Plus, he was (and still is) well acquainted with those he was with and would know if they were pregnant. Gibbs and the director ruled him out as a 'suspect' when he shared this info with them, they decided to take his word for it, of course, that could change if the other three proved not to be the father. As Gibbs said, he would test every male at NCIS if he had to before he would contact CPS or give up.

7-11-18


	26. Brothers (DC26)

Not beta'd; don't own;

* * *

As Tony expected, the day seemed to drag by. If he didn't know better he would swear that time was moving backwards today. After sitting at his desk all morning, trying to work, Tony went off the yard for lunch, hoping a change of scene, nothing to remind him of what was going on, would help. Unfortunately, even though he went to one of his favorite restaurants, everything he ate tasted like cardboard. In fact, if it wasn't for the empty plate and silverware he left behind and the pricey bill, he wouldn't have believed he actually ate anything, since he barely remembers doing so. Returning to the yard, he headed straight to Abby's lab, only to find everyone else gathered there as well.

"What is this a party?" he asked, his gazing meeting everyone else's. "Shouldn't the baby shower have happened a year ago?" He mocked.

"Oh, Tony," Abby said, rushing up to embrace him.

"Abs, it's okay. I have it on good authority that I'm not alone," he said, looking at Gibbs and McGee.

"I meant it," Tim began, interrupted by the Major beeping.

Tony gulped, "Is that…"

Abby nodded as she retrieved the printout, her back towards the team as she read it.

"What?" Tony exclaimed, as she handed it to Tim.

"We'll have t-"

"I know," Abby agreed, interrupting him. "And I sh-"

"Yes," Tim nodded.

"Okay," Abby said, turning to her table, "You take care of this, I'll do that."

"What the hell is going on?" Tony asked. "Will you just tell me the results?"

Tim stayed silent as he read the entire printout.

"Damn it, this is my life, I deserve to know."

"McGee," Gibbs addressed the young agent.

"Just a minute," Tim replied, still reading.

"No, no more minutes," Tony snapped, "It's already been hours. I understand that you might be mad at me for all the teasing and tricks and booby traps and superglue, but that's no reason to get revenge by delaying this."

Tim's head snapped up at his words, while the other two watched.

"I thought we were all in this together?" Tony added angrily, "That you would help and support me, not torment me like this."

Abby's hand covered her mouth in shock at Tony's words. This was not going to be good. Her Timmy couldn't hurt a fly, let alone intentionally be cruel at a time like this.

"That's what you think? That I'm _deliberately_ delaying this? That I'm tormenting you and enjoying it?" McGee questioned quietly, his voice portraying his feelings.

"I...I..." Tony faltered, at a loss for words. "I just need to know the results," he quietly, apologetically, admitted.

Tim sighed, knowing he couldn't yell at Tony, not when so much was going on. 'Sit down," he said, taking one of the offered chairs himself.

"That bad, huh?"

Tim shook his head, "No, it's not that bad, not that good either," he began.

"What do you mean? How can it not be bad or good?"

Tim met Tony's eyes, "The test was inconclusive."

"And that means?"

"There is a possibility that you are the father, a strong possibility," he admitted, "But there is also a possibility that you are not and that someone else could be instead."

"Abby!" Tony yelled, glaring at the goth, "I thought science doesn't lie."

"It doesn't."

"Well, it's not exactly telling the truth here, either," Tony retorted.

"Abby, continue on with that, I've got this." Tim instructed, earning a nod and an appreciative look from the scientist. "Tony, a child's DNA is created by the combination of _both_ parents', we can only test what we have, what we know. If the mother's DNA matches where yours doesn't, you would most likely be the father, if hers didn't, well, then you aren't."

"So, what you're saying is that we are back where we started," Tony grumbled.

"What I'm saying is that we do not know for sure. It's a strong possibility, not assured. I'm truly sorry," Tim stated softly, wishing he had more concrete news for his friend. "Right now, without the mother's DNA…" Tim began, trailing off and giving a small shrug.

"What is the likelihood of this happening?" Gibbs asked, speaking for the first time since the results were completed.

Tim shrugged and admitted, "Not that good. It might happen if a potential father was related to either the mother or the actual father. That increases the chances of something like this, otherwise the odds are, what would you say, Abs?"

Abby snorted, "You're the one that went to MIT, surely you had a probability class there." Her comment got Tim to scowl, he was still slightly upset at Tony's implications, he really didn't want to deal with her attitude.

"Hey! Answer the question," Gibbs ordered, seeing the scowl on the younger agent's face.

"About a 1% chance," Tim and Abby responded at once.

"And there's nothing else we could do?"

Abby and Tim exchanged looks.

"What?" Tony and Gibbs asked.

"If Tony was the only possible candidate, we could do a more thorough testing, that woul-"

"Why didn't we run that test earlier?" Gibbs scowled.

"Because you already thought 10 hours for each test was long. Remember when I told you the average paternity test took 12-72 hours? The kind of testing we're now talking about would be around the 72 hour mark," Abby informed him before programming Major Mass Spec.

"Three days?" Tony groaned at the thought.

Tony sighed; he had been anxious and nervous all day, waiting for this test to conclude, only to discover that it's inconclusive. "So now what?"

"Now, we continue testing the DNA of the other candidates to see if there's a higher match."

"Wait," Tony stopped them, "Nobody had a higher match?"

Abby and Tim exchanged looks, "No."

Tony's eyes narrowed, and not because of the silent communication or the unison they once again displayed, "What aren't you telling me?"

Abby looked to Tim to provide the answer, "Usually anyone with a match of less than 42% is considered nonviable.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that we could rule them out as potential fathers."

"But mine?"

"With such a high match, it is extremely likely," Tim admitted.

"What was the highest match?" Gibbs asked, "Besides, DiNozzo's."

Tim shrugged and let Abby answer, after all, this information wouldn't change the results.

"38%, and I won't tell you who," she added.

"And mine?"

"79."

"Oh god, more than double."

Tim snorted, "That doesn't mean you're twice as likely to be the father," he began.

"Of course it doesn't, after all, twice of zero is zero."

Tim shook his head, "It just means that you share some commonalities with the children or one of their parents."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he said waving a hand to dismiss the topic. "So, who else are we checking?"

"Me and Palmer," McGee answered.

"Oh, god," Tony moaned again, before straightening up. He could handle this. "So if neither of those indicate likelihood of paternity, we do the more extensive test."

All three looked to Gibbs for an answer.

"Yes, unless new information is revealed that indicate new candidates," the older man stipulated.

* * *

"Hey, McGee, how you holding up?" Tony asked as he entered the lab. "I know that Gibbs and I were nervous wrecks while we waited for the tests running our DNA to finish."

Tim just raised an eyebrow and looked at Tony before turning back to the screen in front of him.

"Okay, so maybe Gibbs wasn't a nervous _wreck_ , but he was concerned, we both were."

"I'm not worried, there's less evidence that connect the twins to me than to others," Tim admitted before adding "Gibbs was concerned because he couldn't remember the possibility of being a father," he pointed out. "Fretting about it isn't going to change the results. It is what it is."

Tony snorted. "Sound advice. I got something similar from Gibbs. He told me that the only sure thing focusing on the possibilities will get me is heartburn."

Tim snorted in amusement.

"Hey, where's Abby?"

"Over at the center."

Tony frowned, "Did she need more DNA material?"

"Nope," Tim snickered, "She wanted her daily fix of snuggles."

Tony shook his head, "Too bad she couldn't be the father, I think she would jump at the chance."

Tim frowned.

"What?" The senior agent asked.

"It's just kind of surprising, her reaction," he clarified. "I mean I know she likes kids and puppies and stuff, but, well, it's just…" he stopped and just shrugged, leaving his sentence unfinished.

"What?"

Tim shook his head, not wanting to discuss the past.

"C'mon, Tim, you can tell me."

Tim glanced at the door as if making sure no one, especially Abby was listening. "It's just, well, one of the reasons we stopped seeing each other was because I wanted to be exclusive and serious and she didn't."

"So she wasn't ready, nothing wrong with that."

"I know," Tim stated, "But, right before I transferred to the team, we had a little scare."

"Scare?" Tony repeated in confusion, "Like someone jumped out at you?"

Tim shook his head, if the conversation wasn't so serious he would be laughing at Tony right now, "No, like we thought she might've been pregnant."

"Oh…OH!" Tony said in shock.

"Yeah, obviously she wasn't, didn't have a baby, but well, it brought up a lot of things."

Tony's eyes narrowed, "Did you propose?"

"No," Tim shook his head. When Tony just stared at him, he continued, "I didn't," he pledged. "But I wanted to, even before I knew about the baby, er, possible baby."

"But you didn't," Tony repeated in confusion,

Tim nodded, "Mostly because we were waiting for the pregnancy to be confirmed by a doctor. Of course, even then I knew she would've said no.

"I don't believe that just because you're having a baby is a good reason to get married," Tim admitted surprising his friend. "And if I proposed for just that reason, I would've agreed with her answer of no.

"But me, well, I'm not one for casual relationships. If I'm with someone it's because I _could_ see a future with them. I loved Abby and wanted nothing more to spend the rest of my life with her. Raise a family with her."

"Then why…"

Tim shrugged and turned away, trying to hide his face from his coworker, "She didn't want the same thing. Believed that she would never want that with me or anyone, regardless of how much she said she cared about me. She didn't want to be a wife and especially didn't want to be a mother."

"Oh," Tony said softly, now understanding why he kept talking her about her addiction to the twins.

"Yeah," Tim agreed with a sigh.

"So, you guys really aren't together again?" he asked.

"Tony!" Tim said with a laugh, throwing his pen at the other man. "No, were not."

"Just making sure," he said after catching and pocketing the pen.

"Tony," Tim began seriously, looking away from his computer screen to meet his friend's eyes, "Why are you so hung up on Abby and I being together?"

Tony shrugged, "A lot of agents can't make a marriage or relationship work, make it last, you know," he began. "You and Abby have stayed friends, stayed close for _years_ , in spite of all that you go through. Having you and Abby together adds anchors, permanence to our little group, makes it real, you know?"

Tim nodded, understanding what Tony meant, "You know, if someone leaves the team, it doesn't mean that they _leave_."

Tony snorted at Tim's wording.

Tim frowned, "I meant, that they are leaving you, the relationships that we built, tha-"

"I know what you meant," Tony acknowledged, "I guess I just liked the idea of something binding all of us together."

Tim snickered, "Is that why you use superglue on me so much? To permanently bind me to my desk?"

Tony just grinned and shook his head, neither one commenting on the obvious, about how the twins sharing names with most of the team could be the anchors Tony spoke about.

When a few minutes had passed and Tony remained in the room, Tim looked at him. "If you need to head back upstairs, you can. I'll be fine. Our little tête-à-tête won't break me."

"I know."

Once more Tim looked at the older man. "So, what did you really come down here for?"

"Well, since you asked," Tony began, taking a seat next to his partner, notebook and pen in his hand, "Hypothetically, say I was thinking about everything that needed to be done, if the results go as indicated so far, what should be on that list?"

Tim snickered, surprised Tony didn't add that he was asking 'for a friend'. Still, this gave Tim a chance to prove that he could help and would support his teammate.

"What do you have so far?"

Tony frowned as he looked at his list, "Moving."

"Yeah, that's a big one. Most of us would probably need to do that if we were the father."

Tony snorted, "You definitely would. The last time I was at your place, you didn't even have room for a couch."

"You mean the last time you picked the lock and let yourself in?" Tim chided. "I'll have you know that things have changed. I've gotten a couch."

"Got rid of some computers?"

"No, just moved them."

"To where? The bedroom?"

Tim blushed.

"Oh, Probie, tell me you didn't."

"What? It's a large bedroom," he defended his choice. "Even with a King Size bed there was plenty of room. I just-"

"Yeah, I don't want to know," Tony interrupted with a shake of his head. "Well, now we know why you aren't on the most likely list."

"I think we already discussed why I'm probably not on that list. But back to your list, what else is on it."

"Baby proofing the apartment, learning to cook."

"I think you have time for the last one. And depending on when you move, you might not have to baby proof the current place." Tim paused, "The twins are crawling now, if you move before they start walking, you should be able to get away with just a playpen until then."

"Oohh," Tony said excitedly, "We should have a baby crawl race tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah," Tony sheepishly admitted, "Yesterday, I mentioned to Gibbs how easy it was to watch the twins and told him that if the father wasn't identified by tonight I would help out this weekend."

Tim snorted, "Yeah, good luck with that."

"You could come and lend a hand. You know, be helpful and supportive of our teammate."

Tim shook his head, "I can be helpful and supportive from here."

"Oh, yeah? What are you doing that's so important anyway?"

"Trying to figure out what the S's stand for."

"Hmm, maybe we should start a new pool."

"Seriously, Tony?" Tim frowned, "I'm beginning to think you have a gambling problem."

Tony snorted, "It's not like I actually place bets on those things myself."

"You don't?"

"Nope. Wouldn't be right with me running them."

"Huh," Tim commented and shook his head in surprise. "What else you got on your list?"

"Er, meet with HR about paternity leave."

"That's a good idea," Tim agreed. "Not many men take it, but it is available to us."

Tony shrugged, "It was something I heard someone else mention," he admitted. "I figure with so many changes at once, custody, moving, finding day care, I'll need more time available to get it all done."

Tim snorted, "From what I hear about new mo-er full-time parents," he corrected, "you'll need adult conversations."

"You guys will come over, right? Every day?"

"Tony, we said you're not alone and we meant it. We might not see you everyday, due to cases, but won't leave you stranded.

"You mentioned custody, do you have meeting with legal or lawyer on that list? That is probably one of the first things you should do. Well, that and trying to determine who the mother is," Tim added.

* * *

"Hey, McGee?" Tony greeted as he approached his partner an hour later. His voice, filled with an emotion Tim couldn't place.

"Tony, I told you I'm fine.'"

"Yeah, I know," he reluctantly agreed.

"You know, I don't have any more answers for you, yet"

"I know," Tony repeated, before taking a deep breath to share what was on his mind, "but I was thinking about what you said earlier and well…"

"What?"

"About how my results might be what they are because I'm related to the father,"

"Could be related," Tim corrected, "to the father or mother. Or you could just share some similar traits."

"Right, well, would it be possible that Senior is the father?" Tony asked hesitantly.

"I…" Tim froze, looking at his partner.

"What?"

Slowly, Tim nodded, "Yes, it could," he admitted. "Was he in this area at the time?"

Tony shrugged, "He stopped by about a month after I got the plague," Tony admitted. "I didn't see much of him, so I'm not sure how long he was here for, but I wouldn't be surprised if he met someone."

Tim just nodded, biting his lip to keep from saying 'like father, like son'. "Um, would he let someone believe that _he_ was a federal agent?"

Tony shrugged, "If he thought that they would believe it and that it would impress them, possibly."

Tim nodded again, "You might want to share that with Gibbs and see if you can get his DNA, testing that against the twins could be faster than processing the extensive test with yours."

"Right," Tony agreed, shaking his head. "I'm not sure if being a big brother is better or worse than being the father," he muttered as he left Tim alone to continue his work.

* * *

Some Tim and Abby backstory.

Now Senior might not have visited, but seriously, how could he not? Even if it was a flyby.

Okay, so some reviewers have commented that I'm dragging this story out...first, what's the fun (and the story) if everythings figured out in one chapter? Yes, there;s a lot of 'chapters' or scenes, but calendar wise, this story all takes place within 1 week. Second, I showed those scenes to develop the relationship between the team, and how some are growing closer and how they are becoming family (or at least, admitting that they see each other as family)

7-16-18


	27. Misconceptions (DC27)

Not beta'd; standard disclaimer applies

* * *

The first thing Gibbs noticed as he approached the lab late Friday afternoon was how quiet it was. He frowned, the last time it was this quiet was when Abby and McGee had discovered the twins' surname was Gibbs.

Making a decision, he stayed outside the doors to observe the two inside before entering. What he saw was alarming. Tim just sat staring at the computer screen in front of him, while Abby stood behind him, alternating running her hands across his back and down his arms and enveloping him in a hug. He could tell she was whispering in Tim's ear, but he was too far away to make out what she said.

"Abby, McGee, what you got?" Gibbs asked as he stepped foot into the lab.

"Tim found the S," Abby announced, still focusing on the young agent.

"Is he okay?" He asked with a nod towards Tim.

"I don't know," the worried forensic scientist admitted softly. "He hasn't said anything since he told me he found something. He stopped speaking midsentence, before he even shared what he discovered. I had to come over here and look for myself." At the older man's inquiring look, she continued, "That was about half an hour ago. I would've called you that we had something, but..,"

"It's okay, Abs, I understand," and he did. Seeing McGee like this was alarming, he couldn't imagine being there when it happened and being able to focus on anything else. "So what are the amended names?"

"Well, Todd is officially Todd Anthony," she paused and looked at Gibbs for a moment before continuing, "Shannon Gibbs."

"What?" a shocked Gibbs spoke. For a change, his face and voice revealed his thoughts and feelings at this revelation.

"Yeah, I know. It would really make you seem like a possible sus-candidate," Abby nodded as she corrected herself. "One coincidence too many. It appears that the mother initiated the name change proceedings a few weeks after you woke from the coma. Right after everyone at NCIS learned about her."

Gibbs nodded absently, "So the father was still in contact with the mother, or someone who knew the mother a year later."

"Hey! You're right," Abby grinned. "That should help narrow down the possibilities, okay, maybe not the father, but definitely the mother."

Even with the new intel, Gibbs still frowned. He did not understand why Tim had such an extreme reaction to this latest break in the case.

"And Katelyn's name?"

"Hold on a moment, I have it over here," she said as she stepped away from Timmy and went to retrieve a notebook that had fallen to the floor and then kicked across the room when she was trying to figure out what was wrong with McGee. "I would look it up on Timmy's computer, but…well, I really don't want to disturb it or him; I don't know what effect that would have." she worriedly shared. "It's not an unusual name, but it didn't trigger anything. I couldn't place any significance to it, not like I could with Todd's new name," she admitted. "I figure it was probably someone in her family, or that she just liked the name and needed something to offset Shannon. Though why she didn't give that name to Kay and give Todd the name Scott or Stephen, I don't know. Guess it's just one more thing we'll have to figure it out."

Gibbs shook his head, "No, her name has meaning as well. We'll just have to find it."

"Right, well, here it is, Kay's full name is Katelyn Abigail Sarah Gibbs."

"Oh, hell," Gibbs muttered, staring at his agent, coming to the same conclusion the younger man had.

"What? Gibbs, what's wrong?" Abby asked. "Do you know a Sarah? Who's Sarah?" Abby froze as a feeling of déjà vu settling over her before he could speak, her eyes narrowing suspiciously, "Wait, that was the name Timmy said when I called him Tuesday night. He asked if _Sarah_ was okay. He was distraught and worried that she wasn't breathing. Who is she to him?"

"Not now, Abby," he snapped. "I'll take care of McGee. If there's nothing imperative needing your attention in the lab right now, I suggest you take a break."

"Gibbs-"

"Abby, go," he commanded, glaring at her.

"Wait," he called, stopping her right before she left the lab, "Whose DNA is running now?"

"Timmy's. It won't be done till well after midnight."

He nodded, "Okay, thanks," he replied, turning his attention to his catatonic agent. "And shut the door behind you," he called out, waiting for his last command to be followed.

"McGee…McGee. Tim," he called. "C'mon, snap out of it," he ordered his agent. "It will be okay. The test is running now, we'll know for sure in a couple of hours," Gibbs informed the younger man. "But I need you around to help figure this out."

"I know it seems overwhelming. Each of us, myself and Tony, had that moment when we truly thought that we were the father. Tony when I told him the kid's entire names and that according to the DNA test, _I_ wasn't the father. He realized very quickly the significant of the names. While he didn't develop hives, for a moment there, he did think he was going to faint," Gibbs said, hoping that would get a reaction from his agent.

When Tim remained silent and motionless, Gibbs had an idea. He walked away a few steps, took out his phone and dialed. "Hey, Abs, need a favor…I know…yes it's important…yes, it's to help McGee…I need you to go to the daycare center and bring the twins over here…I don't know…can't hurt…yes, I think it will help…okay."

After hanging up the phone, Gibbs just stood there, hoping this would work. The last thing he wanted to do was to involve Ducky, but maybe he needed to. As he debated whether or not to contact the medical examiner, he continued watching Tim, who still hadn't moved. Gibbs frowned, still looking at McGee. He had learned a lot about the young agent from the years he's been on the team. One thing he knew for certain, especially with his recent success as an author, Timothy was a wordsmith. Most likely that would be best option to reach McGee, jolt him back into reality. The only thing left to decide was what to talk about.

"You saw how I reacted, I was wearing a hole in the floor with my pacing and we still had at least 6 hours before the testing was finished. Of course, because of the storm, we didn't get the results till after 0400 the next day. Good thing you were there to keep me from pacing the entire time," he added, speaking truthfully.

Gibbs shook his head as he looked at his catatonic agent, "It's hard to believe this all started less than a week ago. So much has happened. That first day, Sunday, when I received the call from Je-the director, like Tony, I suspected a joke. Once I realized it wasn't I-well, I can't even begin to describe how I felt. I was angry, mad, sad, upset, confused, shocked, hell, you name the negative emotion and I probably felt it.

"The next day wasn't any better. By then, we had truly started to investigate, while before we were just trying to get plans in place, and figure out how we were going to handle this. Between the note and the blanket, I was now, as Abby said, 'a prime suspect'. All the emotions I felt the day before came back tenfold, plus many more, including betrayed."

Gibbs paused for a moment, looking at his agent, noticing that nothing had changed. With a nod Gibbs decided to keep talking, hoping that this was the way to reach his agent, since he suspected that a head slap wouldn't have the desired results. He suspected that silence would most likely only drive Tim deeper into his own thoughts and mind.

"On top of all that, it was required that I keep this investigation a secret, so I couldn't even rely on my team. Tony, was being Tony, annoying and insightful. Trying to figure out what was wrong, even though he was told that it might be personal and that he should probably leave it alone.

"Then there was you," Gibbs said, looking at the man in question. "For the first time since this started, I felt something that wasn't negative. I was surprised, pleased, and proud. You, someone who occasionally still stammered when questioned, approached me and offered me your support. No conditions, no questions. You offered to do anything you could, whether it just be an ear to listen or your skills on the computers. That meant a lot to me. I was more proud of you than I could say," Gibbs admitted.

"That support continued the entire week. You helped wherever, whenever you could, even though it brought you personal pain by triggering memories of your past. Still, you stayed, persevered, and helped. I can't tell you how often I was amazed at your knowledge and insight during this unofficial case. I hate to think where we would be if you hadn't overheard that conversation between myself and Abby Monday night.

" _You_ found the kids names. Yes, it lead to some erroneous conclusions, but through it all, you stuck by us. The words I used to calm DiNozzo, to show him that he wasn't alone, were the same ones _you_ spoke to me. What was it that you told me? That _if_ the test was positive, you don't have to do this by yourself? That the entire team will help and support you. I assured him, as you assured me, that regardless of the result, he, I, _you_ are not alone. We will be there for you to help you figure it out, both the past and the present. One other thing you said to me that holds true for you, as well, the twins will be damn lucky to have you."

"Twins!"

Gibbs raised his head at that sound. "Everything I said and that's how you respond," he commented dryly. "Are you okay, McGee?"

Tim shrugged, not sure the answer to that question "I wondered, you know."

Gibbs frowned at the change of topic, "Wondered what?"

"Why the twins' names had ties to everyone in the old MCRT but me. I just figured it involved someone one of you guys knew before I was a part of the team."

Gibbs nodded in understanding, "Whatcha thinking now?"

Tim took a deep breath, "That somehow, I'm a father…to twins…And I have no idea who the mother is."

"Whoa."

At that word, Tim and Gibbs turned to the lab doorway. There, each holding an infant stood Abby and Tony, the double stroller in front of them, filled with baby paraphernalia.

"Seriously, McGee?" Tony questioned, taking a few steps forward.

Tim shrugged and reached out to remove the child from his friend's arms. "Hey there, little man."

Abby shook her head in shock, "I expected that from Tony, not from you," she scolded.

"Hey!" Gibbs injected, giving her a glare that clearly stated that this was not the time. A second look conveyed the message that if she couldn't be supportive, then she should leave.

Taking a deep breath she stated, "The testing will be done in a few hours, we'll know for sure then."

Tim snorted, funny how everything seemed so different when you were on this side of the testing, "Option #5 is looking pretty good," he muttered softly.

"I figured the kids would probably be with us for rest of the night, either here, or back at the center, so I made sure we had enough supplies packed."

"Good thinking," Gibbs nodded, "Tim, what do you want to do…and you can forget option #5," he smirked.

Tim gazed around the room. He could tell that both Tony and Abby had questions. Looking between them and the twins, he said, "I think I owe them an explanation."

"You don't owe anyone anything," his boss responded. "But, if _you_ want to talk, I'm sure they will _listen_ and not judge," the implied 'or joke, laugh, ridicule, mock,' was obvious, even to Tony.

"Right."

"Of course," the two readily agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

"Where to begin?" Tim pondered.

Abby raised her hand, "I have a question." Receiving a nod from McGee she asked, "Who's Sarah?"

"I could start there," Tim stated his thoughts out loud.

" _That_ was your question?" Tony muttered. "Unless, she could be the mother,"

"God, no, definitely not," Tim emphatically denied.

"Then I think we should start elsewhere."

Tim shrugged, "I'm really not sure where to start, so I'll answer Abby's question and we'll go from there," he said before explaining about his sisters, Sarah and Lizzie. Both were shocked at Tim's tragic past, Abby now understood his reaction on Tuesday and tried to apologize for calling him that night. Tony just sat quietly, listening to Tim's tale.

From there, Tony once more asked about the mother, since everyone now knew it wasn't Sarah.

Tim snorted, "I had the opposite reaction to my near demise and Kate's death."

Tony frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You went wild, wanting to feel alive, to celebrate _being_ alive. Me? I figured what was the point, she, anyone I was with, or myself were only going to die, so why should I bother? We both might've gone to bars, but I went and drank. Sometimes to the point of not remembering what happened."

"Did you ever wake up in a stranger's bed?" Tony asked. "Hey, it's relevant," he defended his question when Abby slapped him.

Tim smiled, "No. I always woke up alone in my bed. While I didn't want, er, intimacy," Tim explained, "I didn't want to be alone either. I often went out with some friends. One of them, usually Charley, drove me home."

"Are-"

"Charley," Tim interrupted his voice rough and heaving with emotion. "I have to call Charley," he continued frantically. He automatically passed Todd to Tony before digging out his phone and dialing. The drumming of his fingers on the table and lack of speaking told them that there was no answer. After hanging up, without leaving a message, he again pressed a button and waited.

"Now who are you calling?"

"Nick, er, Nicola, one of Charley's sisters."

"You have the sister's number on speed dial? What for?"

"Emergencies."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "This is an emergency?"

"If what I think happened, did happen, then yes," he stated, with a pointed look at the twins, before he ended that call, again without leaving a message.

"Whoa," Tony exclaimed, "You best friend drives you home when you have too much to drink and puts you in bed with his sister?" he asks in awe, watching McGee peruse his phone looking for another number. "I gotta get me a best friend like that," he muttered, softly, though still loud enough to earn a headslap from the boss.

"I didn't sleep with Nick," Tim hissed, as he once again tried to call someone.

"Now who are you calling?" Abby inquired.

"Dani, Danielle, another one of Charley's sister. Don't know her as well, but…" Tim trailed off with a shrug.

"Do you have the whole family on your phone?" Gibbs asked, wondering how this connected to the twins. Okay, so if Charlie was the one to drive him home, he might know something, but why was Tim so frantic about it?

"Was she the one you slept with?" Tony asked.

"No, I didn't sleep with Dani," Tim snapped, "Or any of Charley's other sisters."

"How many sisters does Charley have?" Tony muttered, staring at Tim.

"Then why are you trying so hard to talk to them?" Abby asked.

"I'm not, I'm trying to talk to Charley," Tim reminded them.

"Then leave a message. I'm sure your friend will get back to you as soon as they can."

"I can't, I have to know."

"McGee!" Gibbs shouted, making sure he had Tim's attention. "Why this persistent need to get a hold of Charlie?"

"I think I might've slept with Charley," Tim divulged awkwardly.

At his confession, neither, Gibbs, Tony, or Abby knew what to say. This was unexpected.

Tony snorted and gave Gibbs an apologetic look before he spoke, "And I thought you were getting it on with Abby again."

"Did not see that coming at all," Abby muttered, in shock.

Gibbs just watched his agent, wondering if the stress was finally becoming too much for him. Maybe it was time to contact Ducky after all. As he brought out his phone, Tim spoke again.

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Tim admitted, staring at the twins. "Charley was the one that usually drove me home. Charley was the only one who stayed over. It's the only thing that makes sense," he repeated. "The mornings when I couldn't remember everything from the night before, Charley was there. I'm telling you it's the only thing that makes sense."

Realizing that none of the siblings were answering calls, Tim put his phone down and sighed. How did he not know? Then again, perhaps he had. He had just attributed it to dreams. Alcohol induced fantasies, to be precise. What else was he expected to think when he woke up alone in his bed, with one of his best friends on the couch?

No. He couldn't give up. If they wouldn't answer calls, he'll try texting. If that didn't work, he'll set up his email to automatically resend it until he receives a response from one of them.

"How can that make sense?" Abby finally asked, not expecting an answer from Tim, who seemed to be preoccupied with a breakdown, but hoping for one from her other companions.

"I think it might be time to contact Ducky," Gibbs whispered sadly.

Tony, however, had another approach. There was no way he was going to let the men in white coats take away his partner. "Er, Probie, you do know that two guys can't create life," he began.

"Why the hell are you giving me a biology lesson?" Tim angrily shouted, preoccupied with trying to figure things out and getting a hold of Charley, Nico, or Dani.

At his words and tone, the three fell silent.

It really was the only thing that made sense. The one thing he didn't understand was why Charley didn't tell him. Noticing how quiet it had suddenly gotten in the lab, Tim looked up.

"Look," he began, "I'm sorry I yelled, it's just, well, actually, I'm not sorry, Tony. This is serious and you're trying to give me a lesson on biology."

"And you're the one having the breakdown," Tony retorted.

"I'm not having a breakdown," he snapped. "I'm just trying to think things through. As I said, the only thing that makes sense is that while intoxicated, I slept with Charley. And here we are 15 months later," he said waving a hand at the twins.

"How does that make sense?" Abby asked again.

"And as I said," Tony snapped, "two men can't create life."

"Ugh!" Tim groaned in frustration. "Again with the bio-" Tim began before stopping and looking at the other three occupants. He then began to snicker, which soon developed into a chuckle, before becoming a boisterous laugh, getting louder and louder as each minute passed.

"Yeah, maybe you should call Ducky," Tony sadly whispered to Gibbs.

"McGee!"

Gibbs scowled at the lack of response. "McGee! Report!"

Tim held up his hand, indicating that he heard and was just trying to get himself under control so he could speak.

"Now, McGee."

"Ch-Ch-Charley," Tim began, trying to speak between laughs, "Cha-Cha"

"We get it, you slept with Charlie," Gibbs snapped.

"No, Cha-Cha-Char _lene_ ," he finished, falling into gales of laughter again.

"Oh…OH!" Abby and Tony exclaimed, before they too began to laugh.

"That does make sense."

Gibbs shook his head before slapping Tim on the back of his, "You couldn't have mentioned that little fact earlier?"

* * *

Well, there you have it...The kids' complete names and a tie-in to Tim (Sarah) that no one else has.

And yes, I know that technically a DNA test can't be inconclusive, but it can be wrong IF there are similarities between the potential fathers. Needed a way to keep Tony in the running so to speak (like having him flip out at the potential of being a father or a big brother), but still needed a reason to continue to test the other's DNA (esp Tim's).

Again, I'm sorry if many of you feel that this had been dragged out (it's the journey, not the destination), if you want, we can just end it here without any explanations of how or why or what comes next.

7-19-18


	28. Dinner & Conversations (DC28)

Not beta'd; standard disclaimer applies

* * *

"It takes two to get dinner?" Abby speculated after Timmy and Tony left.

Gibbs just smirked and drank his coffee.

"What are you up to?" She inquired, voice filled with suspicion

Not receiving any response, she huffed and played with the twins on the floor of her office. A blanket was laid out on the floor for them to lay and crawl around on.

"Do you really think Timmy's their father?" she softly asked, her tone showing her doubt.

"He thinks he is."

"He also thinks he's an Elf Lord," she retorted, trying to cast some doubt. Gibbs just raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

"What is your gut telling you?" Abby asked, finally meeting, searching his gaze. "Oh.

"It's just, well, I can't see it," she finally said, looking back at the twins.

"You can't see him as a father?" he questioned doubtfully. "Have you watched him at all this week?"

"No, well, yeah. It's just, well, he didn't even think it was possible, and now…"

Gibbs shrugged, "Doesn't mean it didn't happen. He's pretty sure now that it did. Don't forget, we were all in a bad place during that period. Each of us reacted differently. Tony lost himself to strangers, McGee stayed with people he trusted and lost himself in alcohol, sometimes to the point where he couldn't remember what happened."

"Ha!" Abby injected, "How could he have possibly trusted _her_. I mean, look what happened. Not only did she take advantage of him while he was intoxicated, but she didn't even tell him about it the next day. Nor did she tell him weeks later when she discovered she was pregnant, or nine months later after she gave birth, or even 9 months after that. Instead she just abandoned them, still not telling him."

"Abby, that's between the two of them to work out,"

Abby huffed again. "You know he's gonna forgive her. He always forgives everyone who wrongs him, whether they ask for forgiveness or not, whether they deserve it or not. He's not one to hold a grudge. He has probably already forgiven her. "

Gibbs nodded at the truth of her words.

"What else is bothering you?" he quietly asked.

* * *

"You okay?" Tony asked as the two left NCIS Headquarters to get dinner for everyone.

"Tony, I'm fine," Tim replied, slightly amused. It seemed every time Tony had saw him today he was asking him that question. "Really," he confirmed when his friend just eyed him suspiciously.

"Tim," Tony began seriously, stopping and facing the younger man, "You really believe that you are the father of these twins, even though you have no recollection of their conception? I just don't want you to be shocked if it turns out differently than how you now expect."

"I…I remember," Tim blushed.

Tony's mouth dropped open as he stared at him, "You lied…to Gibbs?" he asked incredulously.

"No, no, I wouldn't…I didn't," Tim stuttered. "I…well, I just thought it was a dream."

"That good, huh?" Tony snickered, earning a slap on the arm from Tim.

"Tony," he warned, before continuing, "As I said, I thought it was dream, brought on by the alcohol. There is a reason why I don't drink much. When Charley didn't say anything or try to avoid me, well, that kinda confirmed that it didn't really happen."

Tony nodded in understanding, "So did you take advantage of her or did she take advantage of you?"

Tim remained silent as they continued to walk to the sub shop; some things were too personal, even if it did involve an unofficial investigation. After placing and receiving dinner for the four of them, they began the walk back to work.

"You know, I was serious about you being hurt if it isn't true." Tony stated. "Yes, all it takes is once, but that doesn't make it a fait accompli. You were already pretty attached to those kids, and if possible, even more so since you found out Kay's middle name. The second middle name, I mean."

"I know what you meant," Tim smiled. "And I know it might not be true, but," he hesitates, "Something inside of me says that it is."

"Your gut, huh?"

Tim shrugged, "Could be."

"So what are you going to do if you're gut's right?"

"The best that I can," Tim stated firmly.

* * *

Abby, McGee, Tony, and the twins remained downstairs while Major Mass Spec continued to run Tim's DNA against the twins. After eating, Gibbs had left without a word to them, except to tell them that it was time to get the children ready for bed, they were pretty sure he meant the twins, but wouldn't bet on it, so to speak. They had debated whether or not to return to the center, but soon realized that there was no way they were getting Tim to leave until the Major was finished. Since they wanted to support their friend and teammate, it was decided that they would all camp out in the lab.

Like last night, the twins were nestled on Abby's futon in the office, extra pillows and blankets along the sides to keep them from rolling off. Before they fell asleep, the adults made sure someone was always in the office to keep an eye on them. Once settled, it was decided that no one needed to remain in the office, unless they wanted to, they would simply leave the door opened so they could hear them if they woke. Throughout the night, Abby, Tim, Tony or a combination would go into to the office either to rest, enjoy the quiet to think, or just watch the twins sleep.

While the children slept, the three adults kept an ear out for their cries and enjoyed a few rounds of cards that Abby had produced earlier.

"McGee with me," Gibbs ordered when he returned to the lab, fresh cup of coffee in his hand.

"Yes, boss," McGee said as he stood up. He started to head towards the lab exit, thinking they were finally going to see the director, when he realized that Gibbs was heading towards Abby's office. Quickly changing direction, the young agent followed. Once he entered, Gibbs closed the office door and indicated for Tim to take a seat. Gulping, McGee did as directed. He could only hope that since the twins were in the room, his boss, a man he respected more than his father, wouldn't yell too loudly about his apparent screw-up.

Gibbs just stared at him, causing McGee to become even more worried and nervous.

"Gibbs." The older man finally said.

Tim remained silent, not wanting to say the wrong thing or ask the wrong question and make his boss even more upset. He was hoping the older man would say something else, giving McGee a clue as to what answers he sought.

When the penetrating stare was almost enough to burn a hole in his brain and nothing more was forthcoming, Tim finally asked, "What?"

"The kids', you think _your_ kids', surname is Gibbs. Since you mentioned that you've known Charley for years and seem to be in contact with the majority of her family as well, I am confident that you didn't give her a fake name."

"Oh, er no, no fake name," Tim automatically replied, as he realized what his boss was really asking. Why _did_ his kids have his boss' last name? Tim gulped, as he realized what Gibbs wanted to know. This was going to be a very awkward conversation, at least on his part. Of course, he could only speculate since he hadn't yet gotten a hold of Charley.

"I, well," Tim paused, "I think I _might_ know why that is. Er, that is, if they are mine and Charley's kids," he added.

Gibbs nodded, realizing that they could be wrong; Tim might not be the children's father, which would make this conversation superfluous. Still his gut and apparently Tim's as well seem to agree on the identity of the father.

"I talk to Charley often, usually at least once a week,"

Gibbs straightened up at those words and interrupted, "Talk? Present tense?"

"Er, yeah."

"And when was the last time you talked to her?"

Tim hesitated as he became uncomfortable; this was beginning to feel like an interrogation. He debated whether or not to answer the question, knowing that if he did, it would most likely lead to more questions, resulting in Gibbs' original question of the name going unanswered. But if he didn't, well, an ignored Gibbs wasn't a happy one.

With a sigh, Tim finally responded, "After the testing is done and if it shows that I am the father, I will discuss that topic with you and the team, as necessary. For now, I'll answer your original question, however, bear in mind, that I do not know for certain what was going through Charley's mind when she named them."

"McGee-"

"No," Tim firmly interrupted. "I do apologize for the use of your name, for the trouble and confusion it caused, regarding you personally and also during the course of the unofficial investigation. However, I stand by what I said, right now I'll talk about why I believe they have the last name Gibbs and _only_ that topic, if you can't agree with that, then I have nothing else to say," McGee finished as he stood up, prepared to leave if the issue was pressed.

Gibbs groaned softly, partly because McGee had to pick now to stand up to him and partly because the younger man was right. Nothing had been proven, he had no right to ask him those questions. If he was being truthful, the moment he heard that Timothy was consistently in contact with the probable mother, his mind went into investigative mode, ready to gather evidence to convict. It was just McGee's bad luck to be on the other side of the table when that happened.

* * *

 _It could've been kinda cool if the 'G' stood for Gemcity…what a way for Tim to reveal his 'secret identity' to the team._

 _7-21-18_


	29. Through the (Looking) Glass (DC29)

Not Beta'd; standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

"Ooohh, think we could hear them?" Tony asked when Gibbs closed the office door after McGee entered.

"Nope," Abby shook her head. "My office is sound proof and bullet proof for security reasons."

"Damn it," he muttered, curious about what was going on now. "What do you think that's about?"

"My guess is the twins."

"Well, yeah, obviously. That much is a given," Tony drawled. "I need specifics."

Abby just shrugged, figuring that Timmy would tell her later. After all they shared everything, well almost everything, she corrected, looking through the glass towards the sleeping twins.

"Do you think he's yelling at Probie? Or maybe he's checking to see if McGee does need to see a doctor? It has to be pretty personal if he closed them in a sound proof room."

That had Abby shaking her head. It was so like Tony to contradict himself. There he was talking about how he wanted, needed to know what their conversation was about and in the next breath was saying how personal it must be.

Tony snorted, "Nothing to hear anyway," he muttered, watching the two men just stare at each other. "Apparently they're both using their psychic powers."

Abby nodded absently before his words registered, "Wait," she cried, turning to Tony, "Timmy has psychic abilities? Since when?"

The field agent shrugged, "Recent development," he said before explaining what happened earlier in the week.

"Whoa, they're talking now," he said, eagerly turning to Abby, "You can read lips, right?"

"Yeah, but Gibbs knows that."

"So?"

"So, look at how they're positioned," she commented, nodding over to the two men behind the glass. "The only way I could ready both sets of lips was if I was standing over there," she explained, pointing to an area in her lab, "Making it completely obvious what I was doing."

"Oh. And that would be a bad thing, right?" Tony asked, receiving a glare in return.

"Just shut up and play," Abby remarked, drawing his attention back to their card game. The game continued, with Tony keeping one eye on men visible through the glass wall.

"Whoa-Oh!" he said with a whistle, gaining Abby's attention. "Tell me again why your office is sound proof?" he asked as he watched Tim angrily stand up to Gibbs, literally and figuratively.

Noticing where he was looking, she turned around, frowning at the scene in front of her.

"I wonder what happened."

"I don't know, but it can't be good."

"I don't think it can end well either."

They both knew that they should turn away, but like watching the scene of an accident, it was almost impossible to do so.

"Looks like Probie might be storming out."

"As long as he doesn't do anything drastic," Abby worriedly stated.

Tony snorted, "Storming out on Gibbs after he pulled you aside for a private conference isn't drastic?"

Abby shrugged, "No doubt Timmy has a lot on his mind right now. It probably wouldn't be hard to push him over the edge. Walking away is one thing, yelling that he quits and throwing his badge at Gibbs is another."

The image that invoked caused Tony to chuckle, "Can you honestly see McGee doing that?"

"A week ago, heck, yesterday, could you imagine that Tim was a father and didn't remember being with the mother?" she asked angrily.

Tony stopped laughing as his mouth opened then closed as he realized what she was saying. "Understood, under certain circumstances anything is possible." He also realized what she wasn't saying, "Come on, without sound this show isn't worth watching."

"Go where? We can't just leave," Abby objected, pointing to the glass wall.

"Get a Caf-Pow, get some fresh air, get a change of scenery, stretch our legs, rest our minds," he shrugged. "The twins are in there with them, so Gibbs and McDaddy will know if they wake up, and you can leave a note to let them know where we went if it makes you feel better."

Abby jumped up, "You had me at Caf-Pow," she said as she wrote a quick note and left it on the table.

After they exited the lab, they got in the elevator and took it to the ground floor. They then walked outside, enjoying the unseasonably warm temperature.

"So was your hand that bad?" Abby teased.

Tony shrugged, "Can't really remember. I wasn't really concentrating on the game."

"Yeah," she muttered in agreement.

"I don't know how Probie won all those hands, I would think he would be more of a nervous wreck than I am."

Abby smiled sadly, "Timmy has already accepted the fact that the twins are his. He is just waiting confirmation before he announces it to the world."

Tony stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "You want to talk about it?"

"About what?" she asked, not looking at him, nor shrugging off his arm.

Tony just gave her shoulder a squeeze, hugging her closer.

They walked like that for a few more minutes.

"Nothing to say," she said finally with a shrug. "He has a family now with someone else, everything's going to change."

"Change isn't always a bad thing," Tony commented.

Abby just shrugged in reply.

"You know they're not together," he added a few minutes later when she was still silent.

"They were, even if he can't remember it. And they have two children together. They will be. You know Timmy will ask."

Tony hesitated, after their talk earlier today, he wasn't sure what Tim would do. He said he didn't think marriage just for the sake of a baby was the right thing, but the mother is one of his best friends. Someone he has known and loved for years.

"Doesn't mean she'll say yes," he finally settled on.

Abby snorted, "Of course she will. She'll be crazy not to."

"You didn't, wouldn't have," Tony replied softly, correcting himself as he stopped and turned her to face him, placing both hands on her shoulders to keep her from leaving. "Tim told me."

"Told you what?" she hissed angrily.

"Abs, it's okay," he assured her. "He told me about why you two broke up, and about the scare."

Abby looked away, not knowing what to say.

"Do you love him?"

"Of c-"

"Don't," Tony warned. "Be honest with yourself, even if you're not with anyone else," he ordered, stopping and staring at her. After a few minutes of the two looking at each other, Tony shared what was on his mind. "You have a habit of getting upset when he's involved with someone else. You get jealous and territorial, yet the minute that other relationship ends, you forget about him and date someone else, like you don't want forever, but you don't want him to have it with anyone else either.

"No doubt it was easy and a bit fun playing house for this last week, but Tim isn't playing anymore. Most likely, he's their _father_. For life, not just a night or two of babysitting, but forever.

"I can't imagine the relationship the two of you have. The friendship, the closeness, the two of share is unlike anything I've experienced," Tony quietly admitted. "You two as friends are closer than I've been to anyone, even We-anyway," Tony corrected, not willing to talk about his past, "Probie will always care about you, that's the type of guy he is, whether he's the twins' father or not; whether he marries their mother or not. He values his friends, and you are one of his best friends. The only one capable of changing that fact is you," Tony added pointedly.

"Think about how you feel and what you want. Probie's been hurt a lot," the unspoken, 'especially by you' was understood, "and he has a lot going on right now. You need to figure this out and be sure of what you want before you start something."

* * *

"Fine," Gibbs agreed, not willing to admit he was wrong. "Any other topic of conversation can and will wait until everything is confirmed."

Tim sought out his eyes, judging the truth of his words. Nodding, he sat back down. After taking a few minutes to calm down and gather his thoughts, he continued from where he left off.

"I talk to Charley as often as our schedules allow. At least once a week, more if possible. Sometimes, though, often it is only through messages on voicemail, occasionally it's reduced to text or email," he admitted. "She knows almost everything about me. My history, my family, school, work."

"Lizzie?" Gibbs asked softly.

Tim shook his head, "No. If I was there with her when she was pregnant, I would've told her, but," he shrugged, "it never came up. She knows about Sarah, obviously."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, since that was what clued them into Tim being a likely candidate for fatherhood, yes, it would be a safe assumption that she knows of Sarah.

Tim frowned, "She knew I wanted kids, a family, so I'm not sure why she didn't tell me. I _know_ she would've needed the help, especially this last year."

Gibbs eyebrow rose up, curious about what his agent meant. His gut was telling him it wasn't just because Charlie was a single mother to twins. He decided to leave it for now, the last thing he wanted to do was upset his young agent again. Besides, he was more curious about the name, _his_ name.

Noticing Gibbs staring at him, Tim shook his head, as a signal to Gibbs to leave that topic alone and to clear his head and refocus on the issue at hand. "Anyway, she knows I don't get along with my father, and probably haven't since I learned to talk. She also knows why. My father didn't have any use for math, science, or computers, at least not if I was involved in those subject. To him, all that mattered was that I was a McGee, and that meant I was meant to join the Navy, like he did, and his father before him, and his fath-well you get the point. It was tradition, and since I broke that tradition, in his eyes, I wasn't worthy to be a part of the family, a disgrace to the name McGee.

"I think Charley didn't give them my name because she knew how my father would feel about them, about their future. McGee equals Navy, nothing more to be said. More importantly, she knows how I would feel about their future, that I would want them to be who they wanted to be, do what they loved and wanted to do, Navy or not."

"Gibbs?"

"I'm not sure why she didn't give them her name instead," Tim started, not directly answering the question.

"We talked a lot about names," Tim admitted. Charley was one of his few friends who knew about his books, in fact, she was the one who helped name his characters. "We both agreed that names should have meaning, value, power," Tim added softly. "A connection to the people, places, values we hold most dear." He paused, his children's names, and he firmly believed that they were _his_ children, definitely held true to that.

"I know in some of our many conversations we both agreed that we were traditionalist in the aspect that children should carry their father's name, or at least a hyphenated version. With my name off the table, so to speak, surely she knew I would understand and agree with them not carrying my name, but hers instead, especially if, I'm right and she did it to protect them from my father. I would've been, correction, I _am_ , fine with it. _She_ should've been fine with it."

"McGee," the older man warned.

Tim nodded, "When we talked, I mentioned you guys a lot. You know that she knew all of your names, but she also knew your personalities, your quirks, our interactions, what each of you meant to me. You probably came up the most," Tim admitted, and at the inquiring look, confirmed, "Even more than Abby.

"You had a huge impact on my life and career. In the beginning because you added me to your team as a field agent, something I had wanted. But even since then, your support, guidance, direction, approval, meant a lot to me. In many ways, that made me who I am today.

"She knew I considered the team my family," he explained. "Tony the annoying, teasing, harrassing, older brother; Kate the watchful, helpful, but still able to torment me, older sister, a role Ziva took over, even though she's technically younger than me; You," Tim stopped and took a deep breath.

"She knew I wished my relationship with my father was half as good, no a tenth as good, as it is with you," Tim snorted, before this case, he and Gibbs weren't especially close, which revealed a lot about the relationship he had with his father. "She knew, since I sometimes admitted it," Tim continued, looking away, knowing he couldn't control the embarrassment that was about to be forthcoming, "That I often wished you were really my father. That in my mind, you often filled that role. You've done more for me, supported me, helped me, taught me more in recent years than my father ever had. Knowing how I felt about you, and how both of us felt about children carrying their father's name, I think she decided to honor us both by giving them your surname," Tim concluded honestly, still not looking at the older man.

Gibbs stared at him n shock. That was not what he was expecting to hear.

"Tim." he paused, not knowing what to say.

"It's okay," Tim shrugged, still not looking at him, "You don't have to say anything."

Gibbs nodded but spoke anyway, "Tim, look at me," he directed, waiting for McGee to comply before continuing, "If your kids are anything like you, a _tenth_ of you, I would be as proud of them as I am of you, whether they share my name or not."

Tim flushed again and looked away, as the two remained silent for several minutes.

With a nod, knowing that there was not much more to say right now, Gibbs headed towards the office door, stopping and looking at Tim when he started speaking once more.

"Another possible reason for your last name, I already mentioned how we felt names should have meaning, and, well, she had to get you in there somewhere with the rest of the team, and there was probably no way she was going to name her kids Leroy or Jethro."

Gibbs laughed along with Tim at that comment.

* * *

7-24-18


	30. Father's Day in November (DC30)

Not Beta'd; Disclaimer applies

* * *

Beep…Beep

Abby, Tony, and Gibbs turned as one to look at Major Mass Spec, which had emitted that sound, before turning to stare at Tim. Tim however, had immediately stood and walked over to the machine, automatically reaching for the results.

"Timmy," Abby offered softly.

He shook his head, "I can do this," he commented, his face turned away from them he lifted up the page and silently read it.

"McGee,"

"Probie,"

Two of the spectators began, causing Tim to turn around. They immediately scanned his face, looking for clues regarding the results, unfortunately, none could be found.

Tim looked once more at the paper before glancing at the three of them, his gaze finally resting on Tony, to whom he offered a small smile. "Well, it looks like congratulations are in order, I'm a father."

Abby gasped and sat down. She really wasn't expecting that result. Even though everyone else had believed it was a likely possibility, she had hoped it wasn't the truth.

Tony shook his head to clear it. He knew after talking with Tim earlier today that it was a strong possibility, but it still surprised him a little. He also had mixed feelings regarding the news, part of him couldn't help but be relieved. If Tim was the father, than obviously he wasn't. Another part of him was angry and upset that this was how his friend discovered he was a father. What do you say at a time like this? Tony knew that if it was him who received the news, he would want to be taken out to the nearest bar.

Gibbs approached his agent that was standing across the room, in front of the machine that had delivered those results. Once he was within arms length, he removed the paper from his hands and placed it on the counter, knowing that Abby would need it to confirm the results. He then scrutinized the young man's face, trying to determine how he truly felt about this. With a soft smile, he said, "Congratulations," before reaching out to give the new father a hug.

"Thanks, boss," Tim replied with a smile, once his boss had released him and stepped back.

That seemed to jolt Tony out of his thoughts and he too headed over to the younger man. "Congratulations, McDaddy. You'll be a great father," he stated, clapping the man on the back.

"Thanks," Tim repeated, as the three men just stared at each other.

"Congratulations, Tim," Abby said softly, "Those kids are lucky to have you."

"Thanks," Tim said once more, beginning to feel like a broken record.

"You know," Tony said, "We really should've thought to pick up cigars for the new father, Tim, here, to pass out."

A slight chuckle from everyone helped ease the tension a little bit.

Tim looked around at the adults with him before his gaze fell on Abby's office where the twins were sleeping. "Now what?" he asked, looking at his boss.

"There is not much we can do right now," he said, with a pointed look at the clock. "Tony, you should probably head home and get some sleep," he suggested to his Senior Field Agent, who remained stationary, even after those words. "Abby, I need you to confirm the results and type up your report. Email a copy to myself and McGee _only_ ," he stressed. "Place a printed copy in a sealed envelope on my desk before you leave," he finished.

"Tim," he began, smirking slightly, "I'm just asking to confirm, but you staying with the kids tonight?" he asked, receiving a nod and a verbal confirmation from the new father. "Here or the day care center?" he asked, quickly explaining, "It's too late to set them up at your home."

Tim looked around the lab, if Abby was working he wouldn't want to be in her way, nor would he want the twins to disturb her if they woke up. Plus the center had more supplies and better facilities to accommodate him and the kids for the night. "Um, preferably the center if we can get in."

"We can," Gibbs answered, confidently.

"C'mon, I'll help you get packed up, while Abby starts to work," Tony announced.

"Thanks, Tony," Tim said as he followed Tony into the office.

"No problem, McPackmule," Tim's eyebrow rose at that new nickname, causing Tony to explain, "Hey, I've seen what moms carry around when they're caring for one kid, you now have two."

Tim smiled faintly and repeated, "I have two kids," as he just stood there and looked at said kids.

Tony stopped and stared at Tim in horror, "Oh, God, what did I do? Gibbs will kill me."

Gibbs took a step into the office and headslapped Tony, "You break him, you have to care for his kids."

"You better snap out of it, Probie. I'm sure you don't want to miss this first official night with your kids."

"And I doubt you would want DiNozzo caring for them for an extended amount of time."

Tim smiled, "I'm fine, just realizing how much I have to do," he explained as he started packing up the diaper bag and gathering everything Tony and Abby had brought over earlier.

"Hey," Tony exclaimed, patting his pocket, "Lucky for you I happen to have a list prepared to help you."

Tim snorted, as Gibbs injected, "Let's get the kids settled at the center, then we can review your list, DiNozzo."

"Yes, Boss," Tony agreed, before looking at everything they had. It was hard to believe that he and Abby were able to bring so much with them, as well as the babies.

Knowing what he was thinking, Gibbs spoke up, "Two of us will carry the kids, the other can push their stroller filled with everything," he said, pointing to the pile. He then looked at the younger men to see if either had a preference regarding their task.

"I…" Tim began then faltered, "Doesn't matter to me," he finally stated with a shrug.

"You decide," Gibbs softly instructed, "They're your kids. It is perfectly understandable if you want to carry one of them or if you don't trust Tony not to drop them."

"Hey!" Tony protested, "I'll have you know that I'm gonna be a great uncle to these kids, plus I carried one of them over here earlier without any mishaps."

"Uncle?" Tim repeated.

"Well, yeah," Tony said, suddenly sounding unsure, "I mean, they're _your kids_ , Probie. I would hope we'll be involved in their and your lives."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and looked at Tim, "You were the one who kept saying that the whole team would be helping and supporting the father. Perhaps you should have thought that through a bit more."

"You're right," he said with a laugh as he picked up Kay. "Well, then, Grampa Gibbs, you can carry Katelyn," he said, placing his daughter in his boss's arms. Gibbs stood there silently, his arms automatically wrapping around the little girl, a look of shock on his face.

Tim then went to retrieve Todd, causing a look of disappointment to appear on Tony's face for a brief moment before he pasted on a smile and went to walk to the stroller. "Todd Anthony, here, will just have to settle for Uncle Anthony," Tim stated, as he walked towards his friend to settle Todd in the speechless man's arms.

"I'll take the stroller, since apparently I have to get use to being a pack mule," he concluded, grinning at Tony.

* * *

"Thanks, Tony," Tim said as he removed his son from his friend's arms and placed him in his crib. "We should be good for the night, you can head home now."

Tony's eyes floated between him, the kids, and Gibbs, "And miss the inaugural debut of Daddy Day Care? I don't think so," he paused. "Though now that I think of it, it's more like three men and a baby, well two babies," he corrected.

Tim smiled, things must be getting back to normal if Tony was referencing movies, "Tony, I'll be fine."

"I know you will, McDaddy," he said, once again slapping Tim on the back, before taking a seat next to Gibbs. "You need me here."

"You volunteering to change diapers?" Gibbs asked with a smirk.

"Ah, I, well, I meant, I have the list," he stuttered, producing said list from his pocked.

"We should probably get some sleep," Tim said softly, still standing next to the cribs.

"We should," Gibbs agreed. "One of the first rules of parenthood is they sleep, you sleep," he said watching his agent. "But something tells me you won't sleep right now anyway, so we might as well get something accomplished."

Tony took that as his cue and looked at the list, "Hmm, not too much we _can_ work on right now, but maybe we can make some decisions and prioritize things."

Gibbs looked over his shoulder, "You'll have to get started on obtaining custody first thing. I'm sure Jenny can get someone from legal to meet with you later today."

"No," Tim responded, surprising the other two men.

"Probie, you are going to seek custody, right? I mean, you're not going to-"

"I'm not going to walk away," Tim answered, restoring Tony's faith in his friends and the world. "But before I meet with legal, I need to talk to Charley."

Gibbs frowned, "Has she called you back at all?"

"No," Tim admitted, "But tomorrow, er, later today, I plan on calling her from another number she won't recognize as mine. If that doesn't work, I'll try to contact her sisters."

"You already tried that and haven't heard from them, either," Gibbs reminded his younger agent, "Then what?"

Tim shrugged, "Track her or one of their phones and meet up with them."

"Tim,"

"No," Tim repeated firmly. "I'm not going to strip her of her parental rights when I'm not sure what is going on."

"She took yours away by not telling you."

"Maybe so," he quietly agreed, "But that still wouldn't make it right. I know things have been rough for her this last year. Maybe if I tried harder to be there for her, she would've told me."

"She should've told you anyway," Abby spoke from the doorway.

"Ab-"

"Don't Abby me," She hissed, "There's no reason for what she did. How can you make excuses for her and even think about forgiving her for this?" Abby asked exasperated, waving her hands in the air, "Especially when she hasn't explained anything or apologized."

"She doesn't need to."

"Like hell she doesn't," Tony said, drowned out by Abby's reply of "Yes, she does."

"No, she doesn't," Tim replied firmly. "I think I know what happened."

"Probie,"

"McGee,"

"Abby, Tony," Gibbs injected, "This is between Tim and Charley."

"No, not if he expects our help," she argued.

Tim frowned, "I expect your acceptance and support. I would appreciate your help. And I would expect that help to be unconditional."

"I didn't mean it like that," a mortified Abby apologized.

"I know," Tim said, with a forgiving smile. "But you need to understand that…" Tim paused as he took in their faces. With a sigh, he directed Abby to sit down and join them. How to start, how to make them understand. Frustratingly, he ran a hand over his head. As it came in contact with his hair, he remembered his buzz cut from last year, he realized he might've found a way.

No, he decided, not yet. Yes, yesterday he promised Gibbs answers if he was proven as the father, but still, all he had were his suspicions and speculations. He didn't want to say anything until he talked to Charley or one of her sisters.

Tim took a deep breath and looked each of them in the eye before speaking, "You need to trust me," he finally said. "A lot of things have happened in the last 18 months. While I might not know _exactly_ what Charley was thinking or going through during this time, I know she didn't do this to hurt me or the children. So until I talk to her, I won't do anything that would jeopardize her parental rights or her possible last moments with her children. Nor will I speculate or guess at what has not been confirmed," he added, hoping to prevent their questions.

Gibbs and Tony stared at Tim in shock before they nodded their agreement and understanding.

"Fine," Abby reluctantly agreed. "I don't like it, but I trust you. I'll trust that you have a good reason, and will share things when you can. And I promise, I will help you, whatever you need, unconditionally."

Tony nodded, "Great! Abs, you're on diaper duty," he injected before Tim could speak.

"Thanks, Abs," Tim muttered, giving her hug, ignoring Tony. After releasing Abby and being released in return, Tim glanced awkwardly around the room, wondering what they should do now.

Gibbs eyed his agent, knowing something was going on in that mind of his, "You still up for this," he asked, glancing at the list Tony held.

"Yeah," Tim agreed gratefully, glad that they could focus on something else.

Tony nodded, hearing the relief in Probie's voice, "Okay, next up is baby proofing apartment and moving."

Tim groaned, "Don't know if I'm up to that," he tried to joke. "I definitely have to move, the sooner the better now. There's no way to baby proof my current apartment unless I pack everything up. Even then, I'll have stacks of boxes everywhere, not exactly safe."

"Everything?"

Tim nodded, "Too many cords and wires around the place. Lots of bookcases filled with books, computer accessories. Add in two crawling kids, who might be walking soon and that's a recipe for disaster. It was a tight fit with me and my stuff," he admitted, "No way I can make that apartment work for three.

"On the plus side, I was planning on moving anyway, just hadn't found anything yet," he frowned, "Will definitely need to start a new search for a bigger place."

"How big we talking about?" Gibbs asked.

Tim shrugged, "Right now, at least three bedrooms. In a few years, I will probably need to move again to a larger place, with another room."

"Looking to expand the family?" Tony joked.

Tim shook his head, "A room for me, Kay and Todd will need their own room as they get older but can probably share for now, and a study."

"Why a study? Can't you just keep your computer and stuff in your room like you do now?"

Tim shook his head again, "Too many cords and wires," he repeated. "Plus with all the accessories it would be best to keep it out of their reach, one area, off limits from them completely."

"Time frame?" Gibbs asked, before DiNozzo could make another comment.

"Since I was already looking, I am currently on a month-month lease. It's a bit more," he admitted, "But I didn't want to break a lease if I found a place I liked."

Gibbs nodded in understanding, "You might want to give some thought to buying," he suggested. "Maybe not right away, since you need a new place immediately."

"Yeah," Tim agreed, buying did sound like a good idea, especially if it eliminated the need to move again in a few years. Plus, he had the money from the Deep Six books that he could use as a deposit. Realty was probably a better investment than some hedge fund.

"Tim," Tony began hesitantly, looking at the list, "Are you going to take paternity leave?"

"What?" Abby exclaimed, "You can't leave!"

"Abby," Gibbs cautioned.

"I don't know," Tim admitted. "Probably should," he shared, "As you mentioned, there's a lot to do. Moving, finding daycare," Tim groaned and continued when everyone looked at him, "I'll have to get a new car."

His comment had everyone grinning, imaging Daddy Tim trying to wrangle his two young kids into a Porsche.

"Okay, but you'll have to take their picture in the Porsche, first," Tony ordered. "They would be the coolest babies around."

Gibbs smirked before turning serious as he noticed his agents trying to hide yawns, "You think you can sleep now?"

"Yeah," Tim replied, tiredly.

"DiNozzo, you staying or going?"

"Staying, Boss," he declared.

"Abby?"

"Definitely staying."

Gibbs nodded, "Tim, Abby, you okay sharing that cot over there?" he asked, tilting his head towards the wall. At their nod of agreement, he continued, "Tony, you can take that one," he spoke, indicating the other bed.

"And you, boss?"

"I'll be fine. You just get some rest, McGee, you have a full day tomorrow."

"Okay, and boss, I'd like to be present when you update the director," Tim added, meeting Gibbs' gaze.

Gibbs nodded before his team headed to bed.

* * *

Combined two scenes for one larger chapter...

***Regarding Todd Anthony & Uncle Anthony: So my cousin's middle name was the same as my dad's. My cousin would introduce himself as Jason _Robert_ and my dad as Uncle _Robert_ (emphasis on common name both times), the entire family thought it was so adorable that he loved that connection

7-26-18


	31. Mother of all things (DC31)

Not Beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

"Oh man, Halloween," Tony cried depressingly the next morning as he watched Tim bathe and dress his kids under Gibbs' direction and supervision.

"What?" Tim asked, shaken out of his own thoughts.

"I just thought of the perfect Halloween costume for them, then realized that we have to wait 11 ½ months. You didn't get to participate in their first Halloween," Tony commented sadly.

Tim smiled sadly, "No, I didn't, but I will get their first Thanksgiving and Christmas."

"Oohh, Christmas," Tony repeated gleefully, causing Tim to narrow his eyes at his friend.

"Nothing too extreme or expensive, Uncle Tony, and it has to be age appropriate. I will not have you spoiling my kids."

"Yes, McStrict," Tony pouted, already thinking of ways around Tim's decrees.

"Now what was this perfect Halloween costume?"

Tim grinned, "Why, thing 1 and thing 2 of course," he declared, causing Tim to laugh and Gibbs to join the conversation.

"Or perhaps they should go as a Red Fish and a Blue Fish?"

"Green Eggs and Ham?" Abby added from the doorway.

"What?" Tony asked.

She shrugged, "Not sure what you were talking about, but knew it regarded Dr. Seuss, so…"she trailed off.

"Just coming up with ideas for Halloween costumes," Tony explained.

"Any of those would be cute," She looked at the twins and grinned. "I have breakfast sandwiches for us," she added, holding up the bag in her hands.

"Oohh, gimme," Tony demanded, right as his stomach growled. "No wonder you thought of Green Eggs and ham," he teased.

"More like bacon," Abby corrected.

"Do you have-" Tony began, only to stop when Tim's phone started to ring, everyone looking at him.

Tim immediately picked it up and headed towards the door, with an "I'll be right back, please watch the twins for me," over his shoulder.

Gibbs silently, finished dressing Kay and passed her to Tony, indicating for him to move to the corner with the rockers where a playmat was spread out on the floor for the kids.

Gibbs followed with Todd, Abby right behind him. In a few minutes, the kids were on the mat, while the adults sat down, watching them, eating the sandwiches Abby brought.

"Um, shouldn't we get them some food?" Abby asked, once they had finished their breakfast.

Tony snorted, "They already ate," he began, "Well, kind of ate," he corrected. "They seemed to enjoy playing with their food more than eating it," he admitted. "That's what lead to bathtime and a change of clothing."

"I can imagine," Abby grinned, before looking at the clock. "Who do you think called him?"

"Giving the early hour, most likely Charley or one of her sisters," Tony declared.

"It could be his sister or his parents," Abby offered, ignoring Tony's answer. "Has he told them yet? I imagine that they probably want all the details. You know, first grandchildren, niece and nephew," she added.

Tony shook his head, "I don't think he told them."

"Oh, well, perhaps, it's an emergency with his sister or parents," Abby suggested.

Gibbs shook his head, "Nope, Tony called it. If it was an unrecognizable number or one of his parents, he would've been worried. He was determined just now."

"Determined?" Abby repeated.

Tony nodded in agreement, "Determined to find out what the hell Charley has been doing and thinking the last year and a half."

Gibbs snorted.

"What?" Abby asked, eyes narrowing.

"Just remembering that Tim mentioned that he and Charley talk to each other at least once a week."

Tony's jaw dropped, "And she never mentioned she was pregnant or that it was his?"

"Apparently not."

"That bi-"

"Hey!" Tim hissed, interrupting at Abby and glaring at her.

"What?" she argued, "She is."

"You don't know her."

"Well, apparently you don't know her as well as you thought you did," she snapped in reply.

"Abby," Gibbs warned.

"What?" she turned and glared at him, only to find his eyes boring into her. "Fine," she agreed to his unspoken request.

Tim sighed and sat back down. "That was Nick, Nicola, one of Charley's sisters."

"Why didn't we see it before?" Tony groaned, "Nick, Dani, Charley," he explained.

Tim grinned, "Yeah, her dad really wanted sons, instead he ended up with 4 girls. I once asked Charley about their names, she told me that the family story is that during each of her mother's three pregnancies, her father would pick out the boys name and her mum would be responsible to name the child if it was a girl. He always shared his names, Nicholas, Charles, etc, while she would offer names such as Agnes, Gertrude. When the doctor announced that the first child was a girl, apparently he cringed, begging his wife to rethink the name, she replied that the only other name they selected was the one he chose, and what kind of name was Charles for a girl and that she wasn't going to just name the kid anything. Of course, she had planned on feminizing the name he selected, but he didn't know that," Tim concluded with a grin.

"Wait, 4 girls, 3 pregnancies?" Gibbs asked.

"Uh," Tim began sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "I guess I didn't mention Charley is a twin, a fraternal twin?"

"Probie!"

"McGee!"

"Timmy!" All three occupants shouted in unison

"Wait!" Tony cried, "Which one is her twin? Nick or Dani?"

"Neither," Tim grinned, "Josephine."

Tony grinned, "Jo or Joey?"

Tim shook his head, "Josephine," he repeated firmly. "She refused to have her name shortened to a masculine form."

"Sounds like quite the family," Tony commented.

"Yeah," Tim agreed fondly.

"What did Nick have to say," Gibbs asked, trying to get his team back on track.

"Charley is in the hospital," Tim admitted, unsurprised by the news.

"Psych ward?" Abby muttered.

"Abby," Tim warned.

"McGee, how can you defend her?" Abby asked, as she jumped out of her chair and walked over to Tim, making sure to step around the twins actively crawling on the floor. "The two of you slept together and she didn't say anything; She was pregnant with your children, she didn't tell you; she gave birth, without you being aware, let alone give you the opportunity to be there; she raised them for 9 months, keeping it a secret from you; then she left them at your place of work without a word to you. I can see forgiving one or two of those things, but all of them? Especially the last?"

"She didn't," Tim began.

"What?"

"She's not the mother?"

"Didn't what?"

Were the immediate responses, cutting off Tim's explanation.

"Sit," Tim ordered Abby, taking a seat himself. "Yes, Charley is their mother. I can get one of her sisters to bring a DNA sample to test if you'd like," he offered. "According to Nick, Charley didn't tell me we slept together because she didn't want to risk ruining the friendship, especially when it became apparent that I had no real memories of it."

"No real memories?" Tony inquired, picking up on the wording, wondering how Tim would explain that to Gibbs. "Ouch," he uttered, rubbing the back of his head, "Thanks, boss."

"Go on, Tim," Gibbs ordered.

"Right, anyway, she found out she was pregnant and then…" Tim paused, trying to find the best way to relay the facts, remembering the thought he had last night. "Okay, you guys remember my hair last fall?"

"What hair?" Tony muttered, "That was not the best look for you, Probie."

"I know, but I had my reasons," Tim began.

"McGee," Gibbs said, running low on patience.

"It's relevant, boss," he promised. "I got it in support of a friend who was sick. Cancer," he confirmed, when they looked at him suspiciously. "My friend was pursuing alternate treatments, said no to chemo; a few of us wondered if it was because of the side effects, in support a bunch of us got buzz cuts, or shaved our heads."

"That is so sweet," Abby said, receiving a wry grin from Tim.

"It wasn't until later that Nick and Dani realized that it was because Charley was pregnant and that's why she was refusing treatment."

Abby gasped, as she finally realized what Tony and Gibbs suspected. "Ironically," Tim said, a distant look in his eyes, "it was the pregnancy that helped diagnose the cancer; it was also the pregnancy that delayed treatment for so many months."

"Nick and Dani didn't know who the father was," Tim began. "Charley wouldn't tell them. Nick pieced it together recently, between the kids names, and something Charley let slip. When she confronted Charley, Charley made her promise not to contact me or tell me. Had Nick swear on her death bed," Tim stated sadly.

"If she was so adamant that you not find out, why would she leave the kids here?"

"She didn't, did she?" Gibbs asked quietly.

Tim shook his head. "No. Charley has been in the hospital for the last two weeks. Nick had been watching the kids. By leaving them here, Nick hoped I would realize who they were. She didn't, couldn't break her promise to her sister, this was the only way she could think to get around it."

"But why didn't Charley come to you?"

"A combination of things," Tim began. "First, she was nervous to tell me, since it seemed like I didn't remember being together, she thought I would think she was using me to pay for everything. Then the longer she went without telling me, the harder it became. Then when she was diagnosed, she didn't want to put me in the position of having to choose between her life or the life of our child."

"Not a good enough reason," Abby protested.

"But mostly it was because of the tumor," Tim admitted. "I, all of her friends noticed that she had been acting differently. We put it down to stress," he stated softly, his voice filled with self-loathing. "It turns out the behavioral change was due to the pressure on her brain."

Abby gasped again, while Tony and Gibbs were able to hide their reactions. "A brain tumor?"

Tim nodded softly, "When she refused treatment, her sister and later her parents tried to have her deemed incompetent to make that decision, citing that the tumor was preventing her from being of sound mind. Charley and her doctor were able to fend them off until Charley told them about her pregnancy."

"You said she's in the hospital," Abby commented, "Is it for treatment?"

Tim shook his head, "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling, that there isn't much more the doctors think they can do."

"Oh, those poor babies," Abby cried, casting looks at the kids.

"So, now what?" Tony asked.

"Now that I know, Nick said she'll drop off some more clothes for the kids, as well as toys, car seats, and everything else."

"Not that the car seats will fit in your car," Tony snickered. "Damn," he hissed, "Wish I had a car that would fit those car seats, it would be the perfect opportunity for me to drive the Porsche; we could've switched cars for a few days."

"I appreciate the sacrifice you would've made," Tim snorted, "And part of me is glad you're car doesn't accommodate car seats either.

"I do have to think of something, though," Tim added, with a frown, "With both the car and the apartment. There is no way I can fit two cribs in there. I'll barely be able to fit the two kids in there, let alone all the things they need," he added with a look around the nursery.

"Can't help with the car," Gibbs admitted, "Mine won't fit car seats, either. However, you and the twins can stay with me until you find a place," Gibbs offered. "I have plenty of space."

"Boss,"

"It's no problem," Gibbs reassured him. "Best part, most of the rooms are devoid of furniture, so you don't even have to empty them out. Though they could probably use an airing and cleaning," he added with a frown.

"Ooh, Tony and I can do that," Abby volunteered them.

"We can?" Tony questioned, receiving an elbow to the ribs.

"Uncle Tony would love to help," Abby informed everyone, Tony nodding in agreement.

"Good," Gibbs nodded, "After McGee and I update the director, you guys can head over there."

Tony frowned, "Why don't we just go now?"

"Because," Gibbs grinned, "You're on babysitting duty while we talk to Jen."

* * *

So that's what happened to Charley. I actually had a friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the months before he was diagnosed, he was acting differently, kinda apathetic towards most of us, not caring about anything, we wondered if it was a bit of depression. Someone he liked had announced that they were moving cross country right around that time, so we just figured he was upset and sad about that.

There are some tumors (not just those located in ovaries) that are more easily diagnosed due to pregnancy. Some grow larger due to the hormonal changes in a woman's body or the hormones make the symptoms more noticeable.

7-29-18


	32. Family (DC32)

To say the Director was surprised when Tim and Gibbs informed her who the father was was an understatement. She kept looking between them and the door, as if expecting someone to jump in and yell 'Gotcha!'

"Tony?" She finally questioned.

Tim blinked, "Um, plans on playing uncle to my kids," he shared.

"Right," She agreed with a nod, before finally focusing on the new reality. "And the mother?"

"I've been trying to contact her since last night," Tim admitted.

"Well, at least you know she is," Jenny muttered coldly, "That'll make things a little easier."

"Hey!" Gibbs barked, noticing Tim's flinch.

"Sorry," Jenny apologized to Tim.

"McGee, why don't you go check on your kids," Gibbs ordered, glaring at the director. "Go, I'm sure Tony and Abby will need the help, sooner or later at least one of the kids will need a diaper change," he added, prompting Tim to nod and rush out the door.

"He seems happy," Jenny finally said, uncomfortable with the silence and her old partner's gaze that was focused on her.

"He is," Gibbs admitted. "And under a lot of stress, as you might imagine."

"I'm sure," she replied, "But McGee…" she added, voice trailing off.

"Hell, Jenny, you didn't treat me this bad when you thought I was the father, why are you acting like this towards him? He doesn't deserve it."

"It's just…," she tried to explain what she was thinking. "Tony, I expected it from, but McGee? It's very disappointing. The fact that he hadn't been in contact with his partner, didn't have a clue-"

"First, that's no reason, to treat him like that, he's human, just like Tony or anyone else," he argued, "And second, you're only half right," Gibbs interrupted. "He's been in contact with her, at least weekly, this entire time," he added. "And he didn't have a clue because she wanted it that way."

Jenny stared at him in surprise, "Why?"

Gibbs took a deep breath and explained what little they knew about Charley and her illness.

It was a quiet and humble director who silently watched Gibbs leave her office a half hour later, after asking the agent to offer her apologies to the new father for her reaction until she could do so herself, as well as a promise of 'whatever he needs'. That offer had Gibbs immediately asking if that included temporary use of a car until Tim could make other arrangements.

* * *

After relieving Tony and Abby from babysitting duties, the two left, presumably to see to babyfying Gibbs' house. Tim wasn't sure how he felt about staying with his boss, though part of him was glad he wouldn't have to worry about finding a new place tomorrow. He sat down and watched his kids play, thinking about how he was going to tell his family the news. Penny would be overjoyed, most likely his mother would as well. Sarah would enjoy rubbing it in his face. The admiral…Tim frowned, who knew how the admiral would react.

"Wanna call Nick and have her bring the car seats over?" Gibbs asked as he entered the Day Care Center.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Tim agreed, immediately picking up his phone to call. "Um," he hesitated looking at his boss, "Where are we gonna put them? I mean, what car?"

"Jen has agreed to let you temporarily borrow an agency car."

"Really?" Tim asked, "You sure?"

Gibbs just looked at him.

"Yeah, of course you are," Tim mumbled. "Thanks."

Gibbs nodded in recognition.

"She also apologizes for her reaction to the news and offers you her congratulations as well as 'anything you need'," he replied. "Tell Nick she can bring other small items as well, whatever can fit in the sedan's trunk or my truck."

Tim nodded as he completed the call, he then informed Gibbs of the time frame of her arrival.

"Is Charley in a hospital close by?"

"Yeah," he answered, repeating what Nick had told him.

"Then on the way home we can stop by. Maybe she can see the kids. I know you need to talk to her," he added.

"Yeah, I do," Tim immediately agreed. After a few moments of silence, he awkwardly began, "Boss,"

"Don't worry, I won't interrogate her," Gibbs tried to reassure his agent. "You can introduce me or not, either way, I won't say anything."

"Thanks." Tim repeated.

"Not necessary," Gibbs informed him. His comment of "It's what families do," had Tim grinning.

* * *

Tim, Gibbs, and the twins had moved from the daycare center to the bullpen, figuring that they might be able to get some work done. About half an hour ago, Ducky had appeared, and was officially introduced to Tim's children, and given the details regarding their mother.

"Well, this is a surprise," he said, reaching out to take hold of one of the toddlers. The other two men just snorted at the understatement. "Where will you be living? Surely you will not try to cram these children into your apartment?"

"They're small enough," Tim commented, "Unfortunately, all the items needed to tend to them, aren't," he finished dryly.

"If you do not mind my mother or her dogs, I have a few rooms you can stay in until you find something" he offered.

"I...thanks, Ducky," Tim replied, touched by the thought. "Gibbs has offered us room in his house as well."

"Good, good," he replied, pleased that Timothy would not be going through this alone. Speaking of that, he looked around the bullpen, "Where are Anthony and Abigail? I was sure that they would be here with you."

"They are helping to air out the rooms in anticipation of the McGee clan moving in."

Ducky smiled, "Clan? That reminds me of when..." Settling down on the floor with the twins, he began to tell the them and anyone within hearing range what Gibbs had reminded him of. The children seemed to enjoy listening to his voice, twenty minutes later they, Ducky was still talking and the twins were quietly taking it all in, staring at him in fascination.

"I think you found a babysitter for late nights," Gibbs whispered.

"Or at least for emergencies," Tim replied. "I couldn't expect him to leave his mother alone to watch Kay and Todd."

"Oh, she would love them," Ducky interrupted their conversation. "Especially Kay," he added. "She's always wanted a little girl. Very disappointing to her that first I was a boy, and second that I never gave her a granddaughter."

Tim smiled, "We will have to make sure we introduce them to her then."

"And preferably before Thanksgiving," Ducky added. "Which I insist you celebrate with us. The whole team is welcome," he invited, pointedly looking at Gibbs.

"Ducky,"

"Jethro," Ducky returned. "I know the team is on rotation, so you cannot give me the excuse that they will not be here. I expect each and everyone of you to be there."

"Duck,"

"Not another word about it" Ducky insisted.

"You are right, we are on rotation," he began, before glancing at Tim, "However, if someone does take paternity leave, as they are entitled to, they would be able to travel and visit family. Grandparents wanting to spend the first holiday with their new grandkids, for instance."

"Oh. Oh my," Ducky proclaimed. "Of course. I completely understand. Timothy, do disregard my invitation. I simply wasn't thinking clearly about the situation, I wouldn't want you to feel obligated to come when you have your own family to visit."

"Ducky," Tim interrupted. "You guys are my family. Maybe not by blood, but in every way that matters. And I'm not going to disregard your invitation," he stated firmly. "I do not know what our plans are, beyond today," he admitted, "But we would be happy to spend Thanksgiving with you and the team at your house. I cannot imagine traveling to see my parents by myself with two kids. Perhaps there would be room at your table for them if they decide to come visit?"

"Of course, of course. The more the merrier," Ducky agreed happily. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a few more things to share with my delightful audience."

"Go right ahead," Tim eagerly directed. "Just let me know if they get to be too much or seem to need anything."

Ducky dismissed Tim's last comment as he began to talk.

A few minutes into the latest story, Tim's phone rang. After ending that conversation, Tim turned to Gibbs, "She's here, shall we go down to meet her and transfer everything into the sedan?"

At his nod, Tim informed Ducky where they would be before the two headed out.

"That her?" Gibbs asked, as he watched a woman, similar in height and build to the woman on the video with the twins, exit out of her car.

"Yeah," Tim stated softly, staring at the packed SUV. At least Gibbs had his truck, he thought in relief, most of that wouldn't fit in the sedan, especially once you added the carseats and two kids.

"You did tell her that you just had the sedan and a small truck, right?" Gibbs asked, as she waved someone into the space next to her.

"I did," Tim confirmed, gulping at the second car that also seemed to be overflowing. "Um, maybe the director will let us store some things here until I can make a second trip?"

"Gonna have to," Gibbs replied. "Might have to make another two or three trips."

"I'm so sorry boss. I thought I told her just the necessities."

Gibbs snorted, "To a woman, everything is a necessity," he laughed and slapped Tim on the back. "Don't worry, at least you don't have to worry about buying much."

Tim continued to watch in shock as Nick and Josephine crossed the parking lot towards the building entrance. "There is no way I could've fit this in my apartment," he muttered.

"You really should give some thought to buying a house."

"Tim, good to see you," Nick greeted, giving him a hug. "I'm so sorry," she began as she pulled away from him. "Charley had me swear not to say anything once I figured it out. Not orally, written, typed, sign, smoke signal, or carrier pigeon."

"Carrier pigeon?"

Nick shrugged, "That's how serious and thorough she was. The tumor..." she trailed off. "It effected her in strange ways."

"She became paranoid," Josephine stated bluntly. "She loves those kids with everything in her. Was afraid that everyone was trying to separate them from her."

"That was because mom and dad wanted her to terminate the pregnancy so she could get treatment," Nick explained. "She was adamant that the kids came first. She was afraid that everyone would feel like the did, that's why she didn't tell you...that and she didn't want you to feel guilty."

"She knew you well, Tim," Josephine grinned at him.

"She loved you," Nick added. "As a friend and as a baby daddy."

"I...how is she doing?" Tim asked, not sure what else to say, changing the mood immediately with that single question.

They shrugged and exchanged looks. "She's been better."

"How long?"

"They give her three months before the cancer finally gets her," Nick admitted. "There is high possibility that her body will give out before that."

Tim nodded, "What does she need from me?"

The two sisters smiled softly at him. "Just reassure her that the kids will be cared for, loved" Josephine answered. "Um, where are they, anyway?"

"Oh!" Tim blushed, realizing that not only had he not invited them inside instead of standing in the cold November air, but he also hadn't introduced anyone, first best to answer the aunt's question. "A friend is with them. He agreed to watch them while Gibbs and I transfer everything to our cars."

Nick scrunched up her nose, "I hope it's not Tony. Please tell me that you didn't entrust the kids to him."

Tim laughed, "No, another friend, one more responsible, Ducky," Tim informed them, before sharing how he knows Donald Mallard.

"Nice," she replied, smiling at him. "Only been aware that he's a father for a day and already has a doctor babysitting them. I told you we didn't have to worry" she said to her sister.

" _I_ wasn't worried," Josephine replied.

"That is because you have not heard most of the stories Tim has shared about his team," Nick drawled. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Gibbs," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Nick. I've heard a lot about you."

Gibbs smirked, "I'm more curious about what you heard about DiNozzo," he admitted.

She laughed and introduced her sister, "This is Josephine."

"Charley's fraternal twin," Gibbs said as he held out his hand.

"Timothy's boss, mentor, and parental figure," she returned, hoping to embarrass him.

"Also temporary landlord and unofficial grandfather to Todd and Kay," he added.

"Kay?"

"Katelyn," Tim confirmed. "Before we knew their names, we had to call them something. Kay fit."

Josephine looked at him for a moment before asking, "Is that because she is the mythic-"

"No, it's her initial," Tim protested, while Gibbs laughed.

"C'mon," The older man directed them, "Lets move what we can into the sedan and my truck," he said, walking towards the cars. "Car seats, first."

"Don't worry about the SUV, just empty Josephine's car for now. I figured I'll just follow you and transport this stuff."

"Um," Tim hesitated, "We were going to stop by the hospital on the way. I want to see Charlie."

Nick smiled, "She'll like that. Maybe we can convince the Doctors to let her see the kids as well."

"That'll be good," Tim agreed before they got to work transferring boxes and bags filled with baby necessities.

* * *

Sorry it's been so long...I like how Gibbs defended Tim regarding the director's attitude...

9-20-19


	33. A lot can happen in a week (D33)

Not beta'd; I do not own NCIS

* * *

"You okay?" Gibbs asked his emotionally exhausted agent.

Tim nodded, his head leaning against the wall, eyes still red and puffy from crying. "That was tough." Part of him had wanted to yell and shout at Charlie for keeping the kids a secret, especially these last few months when her health was declining, but one look at her in that hospital bed, pale and listless and all of those thoughts had flown out the window. Instead, he had walked towards and her reached for her hand. She had stared at him, her face defiant, but her eyes fearful. It was obvious that she knew he was aware of her secrets, that he knew about the kids. Clasping her hands and meeting her eyes, he told her how much he cared for her, how much he loved their kids, how he would care and provide for them; how much he loved the names she had chosen. He just talked, part of him wasn't even completely aware of what he was saying. After a few minutes, Gibbs knocked on the door, ready to enter with the kids. Once Gibbs had been introduced, he left the room, allowing the family to be alone for the first time ever.

Tears rolled down Tim's face as he remembered how her face lit up when she saw the kids, she hugged them, told them how much she loved and missed them, and how their father was going to take great care of them for now on.

"I know," Gibbs raised a hand to Tim's neck and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"She looks…" his voice trailed off. "I don't think it's going to be three months," he whispered softly. He had really been hoping that despite the odds, Charlie would be okay.

"Will she be staying in the hospital until the end?"

Tim shook his head, "No, she's going to stay with Nick, Hospice will be helping out. I promised to bring the kids by as often as I can, at least once a week, more if our case load allows it."

"Tim," Gibbs began.

Tim shook his head, "I'll figure it out and fine the time. We'll be fine."

"Tim, look at me," he commanded. "You just found out that you're a father. That's a major life change, there is a lot you need to figure out. Don't worry about a place to live," he added, "You and the kids can stay with me as long as you need to," he reassured his young agent. "But, adding to that, their mother is terminally ill. Paternity and family leave is available to you, you might want to take it. Most people would when only one of those things are going on in their life, but with both occurring simultaneously? You really need to think abut it, about what is best for you, for Kay and Todd, and for Charlie.

"Of course, after dealing with Tony and Ziva, nine month old twins will probably seem like a vacation in comparison. No doubt you'll be ready to come back soon. Just remember that the leave is there for you."

"My job," Tim protested.

"You will still have a position at NCIS." Gibbs commented before smirking, "Of course, technically I cannot guarantee the same job will be waiting for you when you return, that's the director's call, but I can tell you that I don't foresee anyone else being able to put up with Tony's antics like you can.

"No one will think less of you for using what you have," Gibbs reassured him.

"I...yeah, maybe."

"Now, how about we head home and get those kids of your settled?"

Tim nodded his agreement, looking over at his sleeping kids. "Um, aren't you worried about what Tony and Abby have been doing this entire time at your house?"

"Nope," Gibbs smirked, "I sent Tony a list of instructions and Ducky over there to supervise."

* * *

Nick followed them to Gibbs' place. Saturday afternoon was spent unloading her van, the sedan, and Gibbs' truck. Nick stayed and she and Abby fed the kids lunch and kept them entertained, while the guys moved the furniture and set up a room for the twins. Soon after, Nick returned to the hospital, after hugging Tim and reminding him that she and her sisters were only a phone call away. Gibbs offered to babysit, so that Ducky and Abby could head to the grocery store and Tim and Tony could head to Tim's place to pack some of his clothes and belongings. Gibbs was insistent that they move his bed, smirking that he doubted his 6 foot plus agent wanted to sleep on the preexisting furniture Gibbs had in place. After taking a look at what was available, Tim quickly agreed.

Tim also took that opportunity to give his notice at his apartment. A decision Gibbs and Ducky had encouraged, since both had offered to store the remainder of his furniture at their places if he hadn't located a new place by the end of the month.

Sunday was spent at Gibbs' home; Ducky, Tony, and Abby all stopping by to check on the new family, and each of Charley's sisters calling to repeat Nick's words from yesterday.

Tim spent part of the day, while the twins slept or were kept occupied by visitors, figuring out his finances and how much he could afford to spend if he did by a house. He also attempted to make a dent in Tony's list regarding decisions he needed to make, though Sunday wasn't the best day to follow up on some of those.

Nick had proven to be a fountain of information. She had contact numbers for the kids Doctor's; the daycare they attended; as well as a few sitters that Charlie had used and liked.

Tim woke early Monday morning, showered and dressed before getting the kids ready for the day.

"You coming in?" Gibbs asked when Tim entered the kitchen in search of coffee.

"Yeah. Whether I take the leave or not, and I probably will take some," he admitted, "I figured it was a good idea to go in today."

"You know that the day is probably not going to be that productive, right?"

Tim frowned at his boss's words. With everything he had to get done regarding the kids, he had been hoping for the opposite

"Everyone will be coming by to look at the kids," Gibbs smirked. "No doubt rumors will fly the minute you show up with them."

"I know," Tim admitted. "I guess I was hoping for more from our coworkers."

An eyebrow lifted, "You do remember that these are the same coworkers who placed bets about the father, right?"

"Yeah," Tim sighed in resignation. "I should probably start getting the kids ready," he said, putting down his mug.

"I'll help," Gibbs offered.

Between the two it didn't take long and before Tim knew it, he was loaded down like a pack mule and heading out to the car and to work.

Normally a conscientious driver anyway, Tim took even greater care with his two small children in the vehicle with him. To his surprise, Gibbs actually remained in his sight the entire drive.

Upon arrival, Tim removed the kids from their car seats and placed them in the double stroller, his go bag and the diaper bag over his shoulder. He received many looks as he walked towards the NCIS building and not the daycare, but he was determined not to let it affect him. Once inside, Tim introduced the security guard, Henry, to his children. Immediately, Tim could hear the voices of those around him speculating about the details.

As usual, Gibbs was right. Many people stopped at Tim's desk throughout the day, beginning with the director.

"Congratulations, again, Agent McGee."

"Thank you," Tim replied stiffly. He appreciated the use of the sedan, but still felt a bit hurt by her initial reaction to the news.

"HR knows to clear their schedule when you want to see them," she informed him. "Whatever you need to make this transition easier for you and the kids, please let me know. We will do our best to accommodate you."

"Thank you," he replied, his tone warmer than earlier.

She nodded and picked one of the children in the portable play pen. "And how are you today, Katelyn?"

"Kay," Tim corrected, continuing at the inquisitive look. "Katelyn is a mouthful. While she's little I'll probably call her Kay or Katie."

Jenny nodded, "Are you going to change their last name?"

"I…I don't know," Tim responded honestly, looking at Gibbs. He hadn't really thought about it. Did the older man want him to change their surname?

"Doesn't need to be decided today," Gibbs reminded him. "There are enough time sensitive decisions that need to be made first."

"Right," Tim nodded, gladly putting that thought to the back of his mind.

"And I thought McGee looked young when he started," Tony joked as he entered the bullpen and caught sight of the kids. "These two look like they could still be in diapers."

"They are still in diapers," Tim stated dryly, "Yet still better behaved than you."

"Ouch!" Tony grinned at the barb before turning to Jenny. "Director," he said before turning to the baby in her arms, "And how is Miss Katie today?"

She babbled at him, causing him to nod before turning to her brother and picking him up. "And Todd Anthony, my man, how are you?"

Jenny and most of the bullpen watched as Tony comfortably held the child, keeping up an endless stream of babble.

"What about their middle names?" Jenny asked curiously, "Are you going to change them?"

"You can't," Tony protested sharply.

"I can't?" Tim repeated, trying to hide his amusement at Tony's tone.

"No, you can't. Their mother took great care choosing their names. It would be rude and inconsiderate to change them, especially since she seemed to keep you and those important to you in mind when doing so."

"I don't know," Tim said hesitantly. "Having two middle names seems a bit pretentious. Simple _is_ better," he added.

"Really?" Tony asked, pointing to Katie, "And which of _her_ middle names would you drop? The one after your sister or the one after the forensic scientist that could kill you and leave no evidence behind?"

Those within range of Tony's words laughed when Tim paled at telling either women that he chose the other to honor with his daughter's name.

"He has a point," Jenny smiled, "and from what he said, I take it you found the 'S'?"

"Yeah," Tim smiled, introducing her once again, "Katelyn Abigail Sarah Gibbs."

"Very pretty," Jenny commented, "And Todd?"

"Uh," Tim hesitated, not sure how Gibbs would react to him sharing the name. "You know, I could drop _both_ middle names for both kids and replace it with Gibbs, then change their surname to McGee."

"Todd Anthony Shannon Gibbs," Jethro provided.

"Oh," Jenny stated, realizing why Tim was hesitant.

"And there is no reason to drop or change any part of their names unless _you_ want to," Gibbs informed Tim, looking into his eyes to convey the sincerity of his words.

"Right, and there is plenty of time," Tim repeated from earlier.

"Sorry, sorry I'm late," Ziva said, rushing to her desk and putting her things down. "I was only gone a week, yet I think I forgot how bad DC traffic is in the morning," she added finally looking up and seeing a child in Jenny's arms and another in Tony's.

"And who do we have here?" She asked, approaching Jenny. "It it part of a case? What can I do to help?"

"Uh, Ziva," Tim began, walking over to her. "I'd like to introduce you to my children. My daughter, Kay," he said, indicating the girl in the director's arms.

"Katie," Tony corrected.

Tim rolled his arms and waving a hand to the child Tony held, continued, "And my son, Todd."

Ziva frowned, causing Tim to tense, wondering how _she_ was going to respond. He could handle the rest of the building talking and judging him, after all, they don't really know him, but Ziva was his teammate, one of his partners.

"What?" he finally asked, a bit harsher than intended.

Still frowning, Ziva looked between the kids and Tim. "I know I was not gone that long," she finally said.

"You weren't," he commented, glad that her frown was due to confusion and not disapproval. "But a lot can happen in a week. I'll explain later," he added, conscious of the listening ears.

"That is fine," she agreed. "Can I hold one?"

"Take Todd," Gibbs suggested. "Tony needs to be getting back to those cold cases."

"Right," Tony sighed, unhappily relinquishing his hold.

"I should return to work as well," the directory said, reluctantly passing Kay to Tim. "Contact HR and remember to let me know what you need."

"I will," he agreed as she left. After a few minutes, both kids were returned to the playpen so that the team could get to work. Tim immediately picking up the phone to schedule an appointment with HR.

"Boss," Tim began after hanging up.

"Go" Gibbs ordered. "I also suggest you take the time to follow up on additional items. I'll watch these two troublemakers."

"Okay, but can you keep an eye on Todd and Katie as well?" he joked, pointedly looking at Tony and Ziva.

"Go," Gibbs smirked.

* * *

10-18-19

* * *

Ziva's back, and very confused...Hmm, surprised Abby didn't stop by...


End file.
